The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced plans to establish a committee to review celebrations held on senior high school (SHS) premises and to develop guidelines to standardise such events across the country.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, June 22, the Director-General of GES, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, said the move forms part of efforts to address growing concerns over extravagant displays of wealth during school ceremonies.

According to him, the committee will examine all forms of celebrations organised on school campuses, including speech and prize-giving days, and recommend measures to ensure uniformity and decorum.

“A committee will be formed to review all celebrations on school premises, including speech and prize-giving days, and come out with guidelines to ensure standardisation,” Prof. Davis stated.

“This will help address challenges associated with some of these celebrations,” he added.

The Director-General explained that the decision was driven by concerns that some school events were increasingly becoming platforms for ostentatious displays of wealth, a trend he said runs contrary to the values the service seeks to instill in students.

“The rationale for this directive is to tell parents, guardians, and all guardians for that matter that excessive show of wealth on school premises is not the kind of value GES wants to project and prioritise amongst students,” he said.

He reiterated the point, stressing that schools must remain environments that promote modesty, discipline, and equal opportunity rather than social and economic distinctions.

He disclosed that school authorities would be required to strictly enforce the directive, while regional directors would be responsible for monitoring compliance.

“We expect strict enforcement by school authority and supervision by all regional directors,” he stated.

Prof. Davis further urged parents and guardians to adhere to the directive and maintain the tradition of modest celebrations during school events.

“Parents are therefore expected to comply with this directive and make sure that they do not break their old practice of modest celebrations,” he said.

The GES boss also appealed to a broad range of stakeholders to support efforts to curb what he described as an emerging culture of opulence in schools.

“I wish to use this platform to call on all stakeholders, that is, teachers, parents and guardians, school authorities, traditional authorities, and our friends from the media and the general public, to support our effort to discourage and stop this emerging school culture involving opulent displays of wealth that are characterised by presentation of expensive gifts by parents, guardians and other well-wishers to SHS students on school premises,” he noted.

The proposed guidelines are expected to provide a framework for organising school celebrations and help preserve the educational values that GES says should remain central to the school environment.