Before now, you simply would hear
that a child has moved from crèche to kindergarten, to primary, secondary and
then the university.
Apart from very low key graduation
ceremonies in the schools even though some other schools rarely had, the one
graduation that used to come with loads of celebrating or what a few others
have termed ‘noise making’, was that of a child going to university as most
people see it as a huge milestone in the growing child.
And so it’s with total amazement and
awe that since the month of July, nearly every school has had one party in the
name of graduation ceremonies to the other. The social media has been agog with
pictures of graduants from every angle. Even the play school, crèches,
kindergartens, nursery and many other names they are now called were not left
out including those in primary schools.
I heard there was a new introduction
to the ceremonies this year in a couple of the schools. News had it that three
women had a huge fight over who would emerge the ‘best mum graduant’ or was it
‘best graduant mum’. Spare my rambling, I can’t remember but it sounded in a
way as such. Anyhow you understand what I mean.
As absurd as it sounds, the fight
was said to have started weeks before the day of graduation on who would emerge
the graduating mum of the year. I was told it was a way to generate more money
by the school as the nominees were given some sort of ‘coercive’ option to give
a free will donations or token which of course we all know will not be a token in
the real sense of the word as women, trust them would always try to outdo one
another thereby helping the school rake in some extra ‘cool’ cash on their part.
Unlike the years before, this time
around, many parents were made to pay so much for the graduation ceremonies by
the schools of their wards even though parents were still made to cook and entertain
invited guests irrespective of graduating class and of course serious looking
graduation gowns were won by all
graduands with loads of pictures which almost broke the internet from
‘hyper-picture-posting’ were taken.
Just when I thought the razzmatazz
on graduation was over with July gone, a close friend walks up to me only to
inform me that he was having a graduation ceremony and when I asked “from where” he replied
“from the school of theology, my wife and I”. I wasn’t shocked but just rolled
my eyes with an expression of “yeah
right, here we go again with July activities playing out in August as well”. My
friend just laughed and walked away.
Interestingly, after the ceremonies,
I realized from the pictures on facebook that he wasn’t the only friend who
graduated on that day from the school of theology as I saw a few other couples,
friends of mine who also graduated on the same day.
In all of these hype, the
non-academics refused being left out as my attention took another turn when I
saw on social media a trending picture of a young man, a supposed ‘car washer’
striking a pose for the camera even as he held what looked like his certificate
and of course he had on a complete graduation regalia. The venue was the car
wash center and of course the young man was graduating. Shikena.
Before you ask what business a car
washer had with wearing such regalia. Let me stop with a ‘Sssshh’ and also with
the question of ‘what if the guy was gaining what many people call “freedom”
from his boss and decided to have what academics graduands had, is that not a typical form of ‘changing levels’ or graduation? So
why then was his picture singled out and made to trend as though it was absurd? laughs.
Simply put, if the picture was real
and not some persons trying to gain attention via funny posts on social media,
one would be tempted to put a take that there is nothing wrong in the young man
and his attempt at celebrating being among those moving ahead in life. Life they
say is what we make it.
Nevertheless, I still need to
mention here that the idea of graduation has really being over-hyped this year
thereby taking most of the shine off the very important graduation ceremonies due
to the proliferation of ceremonies held all through the month of July and into
August making families, irrespective of the ‘tough’ times, spend unnecessarily
given the huge bills parents had to pay for their wards all in the name of
graduation.
I strongly affirm that as parents,
we need to have a rethink on how far and at what levels these hyped
celebrations should get based on the classes of our wards.
Let’s save ourselves some unnecessary
‘wahala’.
I know a few people would still say things such as "it's their money let them spend" or "what has class got to do with it" and many more. It is expected to here such lines anyway.
My thoughts though!
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