The Anambra State Government has intensified its crackdown on private schools flouting its ban on graduation ceremonies, sanctioning seven institutions and ordering them to refund all monies collected from parents within one month.
The affected schools have also been warned to submit verifiable evidence of the refunds to the Ministry of Education or risk immediate closure.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ekene Ogugua, said the action underscores the government’s resolve to enforce Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s education reforms aimed at ending what it described as the commercialisation of school activities and the exploitation of parents through compulsory levies.
The sanctioned schools are Kings School, Amawbia; Paraiso Montessori School, Awka; Bluepoint School, Awka; Favour Dot Queen Academy, Awka; Little Angel British School, Aguleri; Handmaid Infant Jesus Nursery and Primary School, Awka; and Frobel Height Academy, Awka.
The government reiterated that graduation parties remain prohibited in all public and private Kindergarten, Nursery, Primary and Junior Secondary schools across the state, stressing that the directive was introduced to shield parents from avoidable financial pressure.
It, however, clarified that only Senior Secondary School (SS3) students may hold graduation ceremonies, and such celebrations must be voluntary, with no compulsory fees or financial demands placed on parents.
The graduation party ban is part of a broader education reform agenda by the Soludo administration, which also outlaws compulsory Christmas parties and the use of write-in textbooks that cannot be reused by younger siblings.
The state warned that any school that fails to comply with the refund directive within the stipulated one-month period will be sealed until it fully complies with the government’s regulations.
