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 banning extravagant graduation and school-leaving celebrations.

Speaking on JoyNews' The Pulse on Monday, June 22, Mr. Baro said school heads have no option but to implement the directive issued by the Director-General of GES, regardless of their personal opinions 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 in response to whether school heads would comply with GES' directive.

His comments come after GES announced a ban on lavish graduation ceremonies following public outrage over videos showing students arriving at school events in luxury vehicles and engaging in flamboyant displays that many critics described as excessive and inappropriate.

Also in a press briefing, Director-General of the GES, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, warned that headmasters and administrators who allow post-examination celebrations involving expensive gifts and flamboyant displays on school premises risk being removed from office.

Addressing concerns about how such celebrations gained prominence in schools, Mr. Baro argued that the phenomenon is not as widespread as many people believe.

According to him, the extravagant displays only became a major public concern this year due to the scale and visibility of some of the celebrations shared on social media.

"Generally, bad things spread faster than good things. This is an emerging trend, as the GES press 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 done on a scale that did not attract this level of public attention."

He noted that the use of luxury cars, expensive motor vehicles and other forms of opulence during school celebrations contributed to the widespread criticism and subsequent intervention by GES.

Mr. Baro also dismissed suggestions that enforcing the directive would be difficult, insisting that school heads support the move and share the concerns expressed by education authorities.

"It's going to be very effective," he said.

According to him, CHASS was among the first bodies to draw the attention of GES leadership to the growing trend after noticing videos circulating on social media.

The CHASS Secretary stressed that school leaders do not want graduation celebrations to overshadow the primary purpose of education.

He explained that the core mandate of schools remains the holistic development of students through academic, moral and practical learning.

"Our responsibility is to transform the human being cognitively, affectively and psychomotorically. That is the essence of education."

"CHASS, in principle, is against it. It is not something that we ourselves are comfortable with," he added.

The GES directive is expected to guide schools in organising modest and meaningful graduation ceremonies that celebrate academic achievement without placing undue financial pressure on parents or encouraging excessive displays among students.