By Oso Abidemi
The Federal Government has barred graduation ceremonies for pupils below Primary 6 and ordered the use of durable, reusable textbooks as part of reforms to reduce education costs for parents and improve learning outcomes.
The new policy was unveiled on Friday by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaba Sai’d, under a framework aimed at promoting sustainability and quality in schools nationwide.
Under the guidelines, only pupils and students completing Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3) and Senior Secondary School 3 (SSS3) will be allowed to hold graduation ceremonies.
The ministers said the move would ease financial pressure on families caused by frequent and often unnecessary ceremonies.
The policy also prioritises standardised, high-quality textbooks designed to last between four and six years, while prohibiting the bundling of disposable workbooks with textbooks.
According to the ministers, the approach will allow textbooks to be reused across academic sessions, shared among siblings, and reduce waste in the school system.
As part of broader reforms, the Federal Government has introduced a uniform academic calendar to promote consistency in teaching, learning and school planning across the country.
The ministers said the policy addresses concerns over frequent but cosmetic textbook revisions that force parents to buy new books annually without meaningful content improvements.
Under the new framework, textbook revisions must reflect substantive content upgrades rather than minor layout changes.
They added that limits have been placed on the number of approved textbooks per subject and grade level, in line with international best practices, to improve quality and simplify textbook selection.
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), will continue to oversee the assessment and approval of curriculum-aligned instructional materials.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding educational standards, promoting equity and ensuring that learners across Nigeria have access to quality learning materials.
