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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Benue State Government has prohibited compulsory extra lessons and the use of customised and non-transferable textbooks in schools as pupils and students return for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The government also restricted graduation ceremonies to exit classes and banned learners from possessing or using mobile phones during school hours, except when specifically authorised for educational purposes.
Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Mrs. Margaret Adamu, announced the measures while briefing journalists in Makurdi on Monday as she welcomed learners back to school.
She said schools must use only approved main textbooks and warned that the cost of books should not be incorporated into school fees, leaving parents free to buy approved texts from schools or other vendors.
On extra lessons, Adamu said no school should compel pupils or students to participate in lessons outside regular school hours.
According to her, any Parent-Teacher Association wishing to organise extra lessons must obtain approval from the Ministry of Education, while participation must remain voluntary.
The commissioner also announced restrictions on what she described as the proliferation of graduation ceremonies in schools.
She said such ceremonies would not be permitted for children in Early Childhood Care, Development and Education, Lower Basic and Middle Basic classes.
Graduation ceremonies would be allowed only for exit classes whose students are due to receive certificates, including Upper Basic 9, Senior Secondary School 3 and Technical 3.
Government also outlawed what Adamu described as “barbaric” birthday celebrations involving the manhandling of celebrants by fellow students.
She warned that bullying, intimidation, harassment, hazing and other forms of violence among learners would not be tolerated.
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Parents and guardians were equally cautioned against assaulting, threatening, intimidating or verbally abusing teachers, principals and other school personnel, with the commissioner urging aggrieved parents to use established channels to resolve disputes.
Adamu said principals, headteachers and teachers must address lateness, truancy and loitering and ensure greater discipline as schools settle into the new academic year.
She warned that schools and individuals found violating the directives would face sanctions in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
The commissioner, who was joined at the briefing by her Information, Culture and Orientation counterpart, Chief Solomon Iorpev, charged teachers and school administrators to make quality teaching and improved learning outcomes their priority.
She said the government’s investment in education would amount to little unless teachers and school managers translated it into better outcomes for children.
Adamu listed some of the interventions of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration to include the recruitment of more than 9,000 teachers, construction and renovation of over 400 public schools and implementation of free and compulsory education in public basic schools.
Others, she said, included scholarships for indigent students, provision of teaching and learning materials to schools and internally displaced persons’ camps, support for school sports and digital skills training.
She also cited the BRACE-UP initiative, designed to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state.
Adamu urged teachers to be punctual, innovative and committed to their duties, while ensuring that every child received the attention necessary to learn.
She also appealed to parents to provide their children with approved learning materials, monitor their attendance and academic performance and maintain constructive relationships with school authorities.
The commissioner urged learners to return to the classroom with enthusiasm, discipline and respect for authority, and to take advantage of opportunities provided by the government to improve their education.
