..Also ends compulsory combination of textbooks, workbooks
By Steve Oko
UMUAHIA — The Abia State Government has banned graduation ceremonies for nursery and primary school pupils, as well as secondary school students who are not in exit classes, in both public and private schools.
The government also announced the abolition of compulsory combination of textbooks and workbooks by publishers, a practice that prevents parents from reusing textbooks for younger children.
Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed the decisions while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti. He explained that the measures were introduced to curb what he described as “exploitation of parents” by school proprietors.
“Going forward, graduation ceremonies in our schools will only be limited to Primary Six pupils and SS3 students,” Kanu said, adding that stakeholders in the education sector, including WAEC, NECO, NUT, ANCOPS, ETA, publishers and others, had already agreed on the policy.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Ubochi, said the decision to separate textbooks from workbooks would further reduce the financial burden on parents. “The workbook will be used for assignments by a given child, while the textbook remains reusable by younger siblings,” he explained.
On newly recruited teachers, Ubochi disclosed that the state had concluded a two-week intensive training to equip them with 21st-century teaching skills. He added that final postings would be released this week, with incentives provided for those deployed to hard-to-reach areas.
The state government also cautioned schools against charging excessive fees for certificates. According to Ubochi, collection of Primary Six and basic education certificates should not exceed ₦2,000, while secondary school certificates should not cost more than ₦4,000.
Also present at the briefing were the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya, and the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma.
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