The Ghana Education Service (GES) has issued a stern warning to heads of senior high schools across the country, instructing them to put a stop to extravagant post-examination celebrations on school campuses.
Administrators who disregard this directive could face disciplinary action, including possible removal from office.
At a media briefing on Monday, June 22, GES Director-General Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis expressed concern over the growing trend of lavish festivities following the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The Service has observed with alarm the presentation of expensive gifts, sometimes even vehicles, to students on school grounds, which Prof. Davis described as contrary to the spirit and purpose of educational institutions.
“Schools are places of learning and character formation, not venues for displays of wealth that risk creating divisions among students,” Prof. Davis stated. While he clarified that the GES does not oppose parents celebrating their children’s academic milestones, he insisted that such celebrations should not take the form of ostentatious events on school premises.
Effective immediately, schools are barred from hosting celebrations involving luxury gifts or costly items. Parents who wish to reward their children in such ways are encouraged to do so outside the school environment.
This directive follows a recent order from Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, who instructed the GES to suspend all flamboyant post-exam festivities and graduation-related events in schools until further notice.
Prof. Davis added that regional directors have been tasked with enforcing the new policy and monitoring compliance nationwide. He warned that any school head caught allowing such activities on campus would face sanctions from the Service.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Prof. Davis emphasized that the GES is committed to upholding the core values of fairness and inclusivity within Ghana’s education system. “Schools must remain environments where academic achievement and personal effort are celebrated above social or economic status,” he said. “We are determined to prevent this practice from taking root in our school culture, and to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity, regardless of background.”
The directive signals the GES’s resolve to maintain schools as places of equal opportunity and to protect the integrity of the educational experience for all students.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com