Speech and Prize Giving Day in Bauchi: A Call to Protect Education, Morality, and our Children -By Yasir Shehu Adam

Every year, schools across Bauchi State organize speech and prize giving day ceremonies to mark the end of the academic session. These events are meant to celebrate excellence, reward hard work, encourage students, and appreciate teachers and parents. In principle, this is a good and important tradition.

However, a growing concern deserves urgent attention from the Bauchi State Government, the Ministry of Education, the Bauchi State Hisbah Commission, and the Bauchi State Shari’a Commission.

Many parents and concerned citizens have observed that some speech and prize giving day events are gradually moving away from their original educational purpose. In some schools, students are taught dance performances and other forms of entertainment that many people believe do not reflect the moral values, religious teachings, and cultural character of Bauchi State.

Bauchi is widely known as a state where Islamic values, modesty, respect, and tarbiyya (good moral upbringing) are highly respected. Education should strengthen these values, not weaken them.

The purpose of education is not only to help students pass examinations. It is also to build good character, discipline, responsibility, respect for parents and teachers, and service to society. Therefore, we must ask an important question: after teaching students for an entire academic session, what kind of values are we displaying publicly during graduation ceremonies and end-of-session celebrations?

If students are encouraged to perform dances or activities that many parents consider inappropriate, what message are we sending to the younger generation? Are we celebrating academic achievement, or are we gradually introducing behaviors that may conflict with the moral and religious foundations of our society?

This concern should not be ignored. Social change often begins with practices that appear small or harmless. When inappropriate public performances become normal in school events, they can gradually influence children’s attitudes, dressing, behavior, and understanding of what society approves. Over time, the educational environment may become more focused on entertainment than on learning, discipline, and character formation.

Parents also have a responsibility. Many attend these ceremonies and applaud every activity without asking whether the performances reflect the values they want their children to learn. Schools and families should work together to promote educational excellence and moral development.

Islamic teaching places great importance on modesty, dignity, and good conduct. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized the importance of good character. Children are a trust from Allah, and both parents and society share responsibility for their upbringing. Protecting their moral development is not the responsibility of religious institutions alone; it is also the responsibility of educational authorities and community leaders.

I am not calling for the cancellation of speech and prize giving day ceremonies. Rather, I am calling for reform. These events should be educational, inspiring, and morally responsible.

The Bauchi State Ministry of Education should develop clear guidelines for end-of-session ceremonies. Schools should be encouraged to organize activities such as academic presentations, Qur’anic recitation, debates, poetry, cultural education, science exhibitions, leadership awards, and community service recognition. These activities can celebrate students’ achievements while preserving the dignity and values of our society.

The Hisbah Commission and the Shari’a Commission should engage school owners, principals, parents, and community leaders in constructive dialogue. The goal should be guidance, not confrontation. A society protects its future by guiding its children with wisdom and responsibility.

Our leaders should act early before the problem grows into something more difficult to control. Prevention is always better than correction. If proper standards are established now, future generations will benefit from an education system that produces both knowledgeable and morally upright citizens.

Bauchi State has a proud history of religious scholarship, good character, and respect for cultural values. We should ensure that our schools remain places where knowledge and morality grow together.

This is a sincere appeal to the government, education authorities, religious institutions, school administrators, and parents: let us protect the purpose of education and preserve the values that define our society.

The future of our children depends not only on what they learn in the classroom, but also on the values we celebrate in public.

Yasir Shehu Adam (Dan Liman)
Journalist and writer, Bauchi State