A public Analyst and Media Expert, Adejola Adeyemi Crown, has raised concern over the increasing trend of elaborate graduation ceremonies for toddlers in pre-nursery and kindergarten classes, describing it as a money-making scheme disguised as academic culture.
Adejola, in a statement on Sunday, frowned at the growing exploitation of parents who are now forced to pay huge sums in the name of graduation fees for babies merely transitioning from one pre-class to another within the same school.
“We have watched schools turn what should be a solemn academic culture into a commercial activity. Graduation ceremonies for toddlers who barely understand the meaning of education have now become the order of the day, with parents made to pay exorbitantly for what is simply a classroom promotion,” Adejola stated.
He noted that graduation ceremonies were traditionally reserved for significant academic milestones, such as completing primary school, secondary education, or higher institutions, stressing that the current trend is driven by commercial motives and not academic achievement.
“Parents now organise parties, print invitation cards, rent canopies, and invite family and friends all in the name of a baby’s graduation. The child is merely moving from pre-nursery to nursery or KG to another arm within the same compound, yet families are made to spend heavily,” he lamented.
Crown described the trend as an abuse of the true purpose of education, warning that society risks placing entertainment and vanity over genuine learning if such practices continue unchecked.
He urged schools to focus on quality teaching and meaningful academic development rather than turning baby graduation into a source of income. He also called on parents to resist societal pressure and prioritise their children’s actual educational needs.
“Education is a process, not an event to be commercialised every academic session. We must stop encouraging frivolities over real educational progress for the sake of our children and the integrity of our school system,” Adejola added.
