The National Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Mr. Primus Baro, has assured that school authorities across the country will fully comply with the Ghana Education Service’s (GES) directive prohibiting extravagant graduation and school-leaving celebrations.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, June 22, Mr. Baro said heads of schools are duty-bound to implement directives issued by the GES, regardless of their personal views on the matter.
“Certainly, once a directive comes from our bosses, or our boss for that matter, the Director-General, we have no option but to comply. Whether it goes down well with us or not, we will definitely comply,” he stated.
His remarks come in the wake of a GES decision to ban lavish graduation ceremonies following widespread public criticism of viral social media videos showing students arriving at school events in luxury vehicles and engaging in displays that many considered excessive and inconsistent with the values of education.
The move was reinforced by the Director-General of GES, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, who warned that heads of schools and administrators who permit extravagant post-examination celebrations, including the display of luxury items and expensive gifts on school premises, could face sanctions, including removal from office.
Addressing concerns about the growing trend, Mr. Baro argued that such incidents are not as widespread as public perception may suggest. He noted that the issue gained national attention this year largely because of the visibility of certain celebrations on social media.
“Generally, bad things spread faster than good things. This is an emerging trend, as the GES statement issued on June 19 indicated. In the last two or three years, I’m not sure we could easily talk about this issue. It is something that took most of us by surprise this year. If it happened in the past, it was probably on a much smaller scale and did not attract this level of public attention,” he explained.
According to him, the use of luxury cars and other displays of wealth at some graduation events fuelled public concern and ultimately prompted intervention by education authorities.
Mr. Baro dismissed suggestions that enforcing the directive would be difficult, insisting that school heads support the measure and share the concerns raised by GES.
“It’s going to be very effective,” he said.
He revealed that CHASS was among the first organisations to draw the attention of GES leadership to the emerging trend after observing several videos circulating on social media.
The CHASS Secretary stressed that educational institutions must remain focused on their core mandate and should not allow graduation ceremonies to overshadow the primary purpose of schooling.
He explained that education is intended to develop students intellectually, morally and practically, preparing them to become responsible and productive members of society.
“Our responsibility is to transform the human being cognitively, affectively and psychomotorically. That is the essence of education,” he stated.
Mr. Baro further emphasised that CHASS does not support the growing culture of extravagant school celebrations.
“CHASS, in principle, is against it. It is not something that we ourselves are comfortable with,” he added.
The GES directive is expected to encourage schools to organise modest and meaningful graduation ceremonies that celebrate students’ achievements while discouraging unnecessary displays of wealth and reducing financial pressure on parents and guardians.