Cutting education costs is a timely and courageous intervention

At first read, the Federal Government’s decision to regulate graduation ceremonies and introduce reusable textbooks in schools may look trivial, even laughable. After all, how serious can birthday parties, colourful graduation gowns, or yearly textbook changes really be? For millions of Nigerian parents, especially those with children in private schools, these practices have quietly become a source of financial worry, social pressure and deep resentment. What looks small on paper has grown into a heavy, recurring burden. That is why the new policy direction deserves not laughter, but commendation.

I can relate to this because I started life as a nursery/private school teacher. As a teacher, I noticed three categories of parents (most mothers interact with the school’s authority). The first category does everything on time (payment of school fees and bringing their wards to school). Those in this category are mostly working-class parents who do not really have time for frivolities. The second category is those who manage to tag along, while those in the third category more often than not do everything about their wards late (they bring their children late to school on a daily basis). The majority in this third category are full-time housewives, who have plenty of time to spend on trivial issues.

In recent years, schooling in Nigeria, particularly in private institutions (nursery to secondary), has drifted from its core mission of learning into a theatre of competition. Birthday celebrations in classrooms became elaborate events, complete with souvenirs, cakes and mandatory contributions (in some cases) from parents. Graduation ceremonies were no longer milestones marking meaningful academic transitions but annual rituals organised at every level, from nursery to primary four, with compulsory fees attached. Parents who questioned these practices were often subtly shamed or told their children would be excluded. This most times affects children with parents in category two. Sadly, those in the third category of parents are used by the school’s authority to champion the events, as they are allowed to come to the ceremonies with friends and well-wishers.

Against this backdrop, the new policy introduced by the Federal Ministry of Education is both timely and necessary. Jointly issued by Maruf Tunji Alausa, minister of education, and Suiwaba Sai’d, minister of state for education, the framework seeks to cut education costs, improve learning outcomes and restore sanity to a system that has become quietly exploitative.

At the heart of the policy is the introduction of durable, reusable textbooks designed to last four to six years. This directly confronts one of the most pervasive cost drivers in Nigerian schools (the forced annual purchase of new textbooks). Many parents are familiar with the pattern: books are changed every session, often with no meaningful difference in content, just cosmetic revisions in cover design or pagination. The result is predictable, as families are compelled to spend a lot yearly on materials that could have served siblings or classmates for years.

By prohibiting the bundling of disposable workbooks with textbooks and insisting on standardised, high-quality materials, the policy restores a basic principle that education systems across the world already recognise: that learning resources should be assets, not consumables. In nations with strong education outcomes, textbooks are reused, shared and preserved. Nigeria should not be different, therefore.

The major implications go beyond cost savings, as reusable textbooks promote equity. When materials are durable and standardised, children from lower-income households are less disadvantaged. The policy also aligns with environmental sustainability by reducing waste, a subtle but important benefit in a nation struggling with poor waste management.

Equally significant is the decision to limit graduation ceremonies strictly to Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3. This is perhaps the most socially sensitive aspect of the reform and the most courageous. Graduation ceremonies, once symbolic markers of key transitions, have been commercialised into yearly obligations. Schools turned them into revenue streams, often outsourcing them to vendors who charged parents for gowns, photographs, souvenirs and programmes.

For many parents, these ceremonies were not optional. Non-payment often meant embarrassment for the child or exclusion from school activities, a suggestion mostly from the third category of parents.

In a fragile economy, such practices deepen inequality and add emotional strain to financial stress. By drawing a clear line, the government is reasserting that education is not an event-planning industry.

Critically, the policy does not ban celebration but restores proportion. Children can still be recognised informally within classrooms. What is being curtailed is the institutionalisation of excesses, and the distinction matters.

Beyond cost control, the framework strengthens quality assurance in textbook development and usage. It addresses long-standing issues of weak standards, overcrowded approval lists and superficial revisions that offer poor value for money. By limiting the number of approved textbooks per subject and grade, in line with international best practices, the policy simplifies school choices and improves oversight.

The continued central role of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) in textbook assessment is also crucial. When properly empowered, NERDC can ensure that learning materials are curriculum-aligned, educationally sound and culturally relevant. This is how reform becomes practical rather than cosmetic.

The introduction of a uniform academic calendar further supports system-wide coherence. Consistency in planning helps parents, teachers and administrators alike. It reduces confusion and enhances coordination across states and school systems, especially at the basic education level supported by the Universal Basic Education Commission.

Of course, policy is only as effective as its enforcement. Private schools, in particular, may resist changes that threaten lucrative side practices. This is where firm regulation and parental awareness must work together. Parents should feel empowered to question unlawful charges, and education authorities must be willing to sanction defaulters.

The ideal case is not a joyless school environment stripped of celebration or creativity. It is one where learning comes first, costs are transparent, and families are not forced into competitive spending masquerading as school culture. Birthdays should be private family choices, not classroom obligations, and graduation should mark real educational milestones, not routine promotions.

In a nation where many parents struggle to pay basic school fees, these reforms send an important signal: education should not impoverish those it is meant to empower. What seemed laughable at first read is, in truth, a serious intervention in defence of fairness, affordability and common sense. For that, the government deserves praise and sustained public support.

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