Benue Bans Compulsory Extra Lessons After School Hours
The Benue State Government has declared that all schools in the state will no longer be allowed to hold compulsory extra lessons after school hours as students return for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The State Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Margaret Adamu, made the announcement at a press conference in Makurdi on Monday.
The commissioner says that Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) who want to arrange additional lessons must first get approval from the Ministry of Education. Any extra lessons approved should not be compulsory for learners, she added.
Adamu advised proprietors, principals and heads of schools to abide by the existing education policies and guidelines, adding that any school that contravenes the directives would be met with appropriate sanctions.
The commissioner also directed that only approved main textbooks be used in schools for teaching. She banned the use of limited or modified non-transferable textbooks.
She also said that the school fees should not cover the cost of textbooks, and that parents should buy approved textbooks from the school or elsewhere.
Schools were not allowed to hold graduation ceremonies for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE), Lower Basic and Middle Basic classes, Adamu said during graduation ceremonies. She stated that graduation should only be for exit classes such as Basic 9, SS3 and Technical 3.
The commissioner also ordered schools to not allow learners to be involved in birthday celebrations where they are handling celebrants.
She directed school leaders to ensure that the current prohibition on bullying, intimidation, harassment, hazing and other violence between learners is being adhered to.
