Open Letter to the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR
On the Use of Textbooks and the Prohibition of Graduation Ceremonies in Nursery and Primary Schools.
Your Excellency,
The circular dated 16th July 2026, signed by Dr. Ekene Ogugua of the Ministry of Education, came rather late, although its contents serve the public good. As always, I write in the public interest because this directive has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of middle-class parents from exploitation by some public, private, and mission schools across Anambra State.
Unknown to Your Excellency, before the issuance of the circular, thousands of parents had already paid between ₦2,000 and ₦200,000 each in the name of graduation ceremonies. Most schools had completed all the necessary arrangements for these elaborate celebrations before a single government memo brought the unnecessary and wasteful events to a halt.
Regrettably, many parents have not received refunds of the money already paid, although I understand that the Government has subsequently directed some identified schools to refund such payments. This directive should be enforced across all affected schools to ensure fairness.
Your administration deserves commendation for taking a bold step to end the growing commercialization of graduation ceremonies. The policy has undoubtedly saved many families from recurring financial pressure.
Many parents paid these fees not because they could comfortably afford them, but because they feared that their children would feel excluded or embarrassed among their classmates. This “neighbourhood effect” has become a powerful psychological force that compels unnecessary spending. Sadly, many schools now view graduation ceremonies more as revenue-generating ventures than as modest celebrations of academic achievement.
However, while the intervention is commendable, it came rather late and offered no practical alternatives. Government should have issued clear guidelines at the beginning of the academic session on how schools should organize end-of-session academic awards and recognition ceremonies for outstanding pupils.
Regulation should not simply prohibit excesses; it should also provide a workable framework that encourages excellence while protecting parents.
More importantly, if one government circular can successfully stop exploitative graduation ceremonies, another should be issued to promote functional education.
Our educational system must move beyond being merely certificate-driven. It should become a problem-solving system that equips learners with practical skills from primary school through secondary school. Education should prepare children to contribute meaningfully to society by addressing real-life challenges such as food production, housing, road construction, electricity management, urban and rural planning, environmental sustainability, healthcare, and technology.
Children should not spend years memorizing theories and reading books that have little relevance to solving the problems around them. In countries like China, pupils are introduced early to practical skills such as animal husbandry, cooking, hairdressing, painting, and other vocational activities. Such exposure prepares them for productive living and self-reliance.
Your Excellency, Anambra State should establish industrial and vocational villages across the state’s senatorial zones to promote production, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Such centres would provide school leavers with practical opportunities to acquire employable skills and begin earning a livelihood while continuing their education.
Is Your Excellency not concerned that our current educational curriculum is increasingly outdated and poorly aligned with the realities of the 21st-century Artificial Intelligence era?
Last week, Your Excellency travelled to the United Kingdom to celebrate your daughter’s academic achievement. Like many privileged Nigerian parents, you sought quality education abroad. This raises an important question: are you genuinely satisfied with the standard of education available in Anambra State?
There is an urgent need for comprehensive educational reform. Stopping the exploitation of parents through unnecessary graduation ceremonies is commendable, but it is only the first step. The greater challenge is to redesign our educational system so that it produces innovators, entrepreneurs, skilled workers, and problem-solvers rather than graduates armed only with certificates.
Our education system must have a direct correlation with solving society’s problems and driving economic development.
Yours faithfully,
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu
Ambassador-General
Good Governance Ministry (GGM)
ggovernanceministry@gmail.com
