By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Ahead of school closure this week, the Government of Anambra State has reemphasized its position on graduation ceremonies for nursery, primary, and junior secondary school pupils, reminding school managers that graduation ceremonies for nursery, primary, and junior secondary school pupils are prohibited. “Graduation ceremonies for Nursery, Primary School Pupils and Junior Secondary School students are hereby prohibited,” Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ekene Ogugua, said in a memo he personally signed. The memo also placed a ban on the use of textbooks that cannot be reused by other learners. Similarly, the Commissioner reminded school managers that they cannot change textbooks without approval from the Anambra State Ministry of Education.
According to Dr. Ogugua, the prohibitions reflect Anambra State Governor Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s deliberate effort to put aside extra, but irrelevant expenditures that become burdensome for parents and make education needlessly out of reach for parents. Currently, in Anambra State, students attending public schools are enjoying free education. However, that is not a ticket to exploit parents whose kids are attending other schools in the state, and the Governor has emphasized this, the Commissioner said.
These directives speak to Governor Soludo’s ambitious plans for education. “Education is Anambra’s present and the future,” Governor Soludo said in the People’s Manifesto. More specifically, Governor Soludo also pledged to ensure harmonization and quality assurance within the Anambra State Education System. “Our plan aims to develop rigorous quality assurance in both private and public schools,” the Governor said in his manifesto. Therefore, this effort aims to unify the Anambra State School System to mirror the same standards in private and public schools, both in teaching and learning experiences for students.
As schools in Anambra State close for the third term this week, the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ogugua, has said that the Ministry will ensure compliance with the Government’s policy directives.
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