Stand Point

Graduation Ceremony: Kwara schools exploiting parents

 

With Joke Adeniyi-Jackson

The wanton exploitation of parents by private  schools especially in Kwara State in the guise of graduation ceremony is of great concern. I was particularly disturbed when a parent informed me that graduating pupils in  a private school in Olorunsogo area in Ilorin, Kwara state were billed N10,000 for their forthcoming graduation ceremony. The levies include money for academic gown,  parting gift and refreshment. This is that time of the year when school proprietors smile to the bank  without putting into consideration, parents who bear the brunt.
Invitations have started flying around for the speech and prize giving day (graduation) ceremonies. A programme, which is meant for an end of academic session stock taking for schools, avenue to reward outstanding students who excelled in their academics and motivate others to a healthy competition, has been turned into a jamboree, thus relegating its essence to the background.
I have had the opportunity of attending quite a couple of such ceremonies and was surprised at the magnitude of fanfare and razzmatazz outlined in the programme, which leaves one to wonder if schools have become a place where Hip Hop stars and video vixens are being groomed. To say the least these programmes are avenues of exploitation, rip-off and profiteering by the school proprietors as parents are charged exorbitantly for it.  Even guests at the programme get a taste of it as there are sideshows such as launching of school bus, computer centre, laboratory etcetera. In short,  graduation have become a conduit pipe through which most private school proprietors drain the purse of parents, friends and well-wishers. It has become a money spinning venture that school proprietors look forward to at the close of each academic year.
Unlike the proprietors, parents of pupils have come to dread such moment particularly at this time when the country is going through economic recession.  The proprietors’ gain have come to become their loss.
A major misnomer observed is that schools invest so much time in preparation for the graduation ceremony.  Some of the private school start preparation from beginning of the term leaving little time for academic activities. This is because they want to impress parents guests at the graduation ceremony and convince them that their school is the best.  This obviously will have a serious consequence to the importation of sound education in the affected pupils or students as the case may be.
This trend of turning supposed graduation ceremonies into a moneymaking venture signals  collapse of education values.
It is unfortunate that even mushroom schools have catch up with the trend of making parents who wants their children in private schools their cash cows.  It is common knowledge that the worst private school is better than the best of public schools. They are of the view that private schools are better managed, with a relatively higher standard of education, fewer disciplinary problems, better facilities, better performance in public examinations and higher quality of output. For this reason,  there is increased patronage and proliferation of private schools and consequently extortion. Aside the graduation levies other extortions come in form of cost of note books and text books that can’t be passed down to younger siblings, tuition, development fee, science and practical fees among numerous others.
More so,  the long vacation holiday will soon be over and parents will have to cough out exorbitant fee for a new academic session. With the economic situation in the country, which is affecting an average, this may pose huge financial burden on parents. If only private schools can charge moderate school fees, it would help reduce the hardship being faced by parents and students as well as complement government efforts in providing qualitative education in the country.
It is high time  the state government  looked into this problem with the aim of eliminating all illegal fees and levies charged particularly by private school proprietors.  In Kwara State, the Quality Assurance Bureau of the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development should ensure strict monitoring of all activities in schools both public and private and make sure that standards are not compromised in any form in schools in the state. The essence of the monitoring is to  ensure that all private schools are operating based on approval and specification and academic activities are given premium attention. Importantly some illegal activities marking graduation ceremonies in private schools should be looked into.
World over, education is seen as license to a better life and since it is the best legacy any parent and vis-a-vis nation can bequeath on future leaders,  then we should not allow its commercialisation in any form.
There is also the urgent need for operators of other private schools to improve on their facilities by creating conducive/enabling environment for learning and teaching standard for qualitative education.

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