The Sokoto State Government has prohibited all sorts of “signing-out” ceremonies for graduating secondary school students throughout the state.
Prof Ahmad Ladan Ala, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, issued the prohibition on Thursday, citing an increase in student misconduct, vandalism, and public disturbances linked to such gatherings.
The directive applies to both public and private schools in Sokoto state.
Ala claims that the signing-out trend has strayed from its initial celebratory meaning and now threatens the principles of discipline, academic attention, and responsible behaviour that the state’s education system seeks to encourage.
“All principals have been directed to take immediate steps to prevent students from organising or participating in any form of signing-out celebrations, whether within or outside school premises,” the commissioner stated.
The ministry also urged parents and guardians to support the instruction by prohibiting their children from participating in activities that undermine discipline and the academic ideals supported by schools.
The mandate, written by Abubakar Abdullahi, Director of Examination Matters, must be strictly followed by all secondary school heads in Sokoto State.
The signing-out custom in Nigerian secondary schools often involves final-year students celebrating the completion of their exams, writing farewell notes on each other’s uniforms, and occasionally participating in unruly behaviour.
