By Praise Afolabi
Something dangerous is brewing in Nigeria’s secondary schools, and it is not about poor infrastructure or outdated syllabuses. It is about values – or more accurately, the loss of them.
Across the country, schools that should be shaping young minds into responsible adults are now hosting spectacles that glorify vanity, wealth, and excess. The most glaring example is the creeping culture of “prom.”
What started as a Western-inspired farewell dance has morphed into a vulgar display of opulence. Teenagers, still under their parents’ care, now arrive at these events in convoys of Lamborghinis and Mercedes-Benz cars. They step out in outfits more fitting for a nightclub than a school hall. Some even hire bouncers and entourages. These are not school functions – they are parades of decadence.
The tragedy is not the event itself but what it represents: a failure of both parenting and schooling. The institutions that should be instilling discipline, humility, and moral guidance are instead enabling the worst instincts of a generation raised on social media clout. Schools are fast becoming platforms for parents to flaunt wealth through their children, while values like modesty, contentment, and respect are trampled underfoot.
This rot must stop. Education is not just about academics; it is about character. If our schools cannot uphold that standard, then they are betraying their purpose. Parents too must wake up. Showering children with unchecked luxury only breeds entitlement and irresponsibility. A society that celebrates excess in children cannot expect moderation from its leaders tomorrow.
Government and regulators must also step in. Just as there are guidelines on curricula, there should be firm policies on school events. Anything that encourages the sexualisation of minors or turns a learning environment into a playground for affluence should be banned outright. Celebrations should be modest, supervised, and rooted in the values we claim to cherish.
Let us be clear: we are not against celebrating students. They deserve recognition for hard work and achievements. But when a farewell event becomes indistinguishable from a Lagos nightclub party, we must ask ourselves – what exactly are we preparing these children for?
If we continue down this path, the “unbecoming altitude” of today’s teenagers will become the cultural foundation of tomorrow’s Nigeria. And when that happens, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
