A final year student with her surprise car from her parents
The Ministry of Education has suspended all Senior High School (SHS) graduation ceremonies nationwide, while the Ghana Education Service (GES) has banned flamboyant post-examination celebrations on school premises.
The moves follow public concerns over excessive displays of wealth, with parents prohibited from presenting expensive gifts such as cars or money bouquets.
A statement signed by Hashmin Mohammed, Press Secretary to the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, said the ministry has taken note of growing public concerns regarding the increasing trend of excessive display of wealth and flamboyance during graduation ceremonies in some Senior High Schools across the country.
“The Ministry wishes to emphasise that schools are institutions for learning, character development, discipline, and the nurturing of responsible citizens. Graduation ceremonies are intended to celebrate academic achievement and personal growth and should therefore reflect the values of modesty, dignity, and respect associated with the educational environment. The Ministry strongly condemns any conduct by students, parents, guardians, or other stakeholders that promotes extravagance and detracts from the true purpose of school ceremonies,” part of the statement read.
The Education Minister further directed the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service to suspend all Senior High School graduation ceremonies nationwide with immediate effect, pending a review of existing guidelines governing such events.
He emphasised that the ministry under his watch remains committed to ensuring that all school activities uphold the highest standards of discipline, responsibility, and moral development, in line with the objectives of Ghana’s education system.
Subsequently, Daniel Fenyi, Head of Public Relation, GES, stated that while management is not against the practice of parents and guardians celebrating achievement of their children or wards, it is against the practice of such ostentatious displays by parents on school premises.
“In order to ensure that this practice does not gain roots in the school culture, Management wishes to inform the general public that, henceforth, post-examination celebrations that are characterised by lavish presentation of items such as motor vehicles to students are prohibited on school premises,” part of the statement read.
Mr. Fenyi stated that heads of schools who allow this practice on their campus will be sanctioned. “Schools are designed to promote social equalisers where merit and personal effort take priority over economic status. Ostentatious displays of wealth by parents on school premises create visible socio-economic divisions, shift the focus from academic achievement to financial privilege, and can foster psychological distress among students whose parents are not able to compete in such flamboyant celebrations,” he stressed.
Videos that went viral last Friday show groups of Senior High School students being showered with expensive gifts immediately after completing their final examinations. In the clips, students were seen receiving cars, cash-filled “money bouquets,” and other luxury items from family and friends. The flamboyant post-examination celebrations were filmed on school grounds and quickly spread across TikTok, X, and WhatsApp. The trend of extravagant “graduation gifts” for SHS leavers has ignited mixed reactions online. While some praised parents for rewarding hard work, others criticised the displays as excessive and insensitive amid current economic pressures.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke