The Ministry of Education has suspended all senior high school graduation ceremonies nationwide, pending a review of existing guidelines, after recent post-examination celebrations in some schools sparked public debate over ostentatious displays of wealth.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 20, 2026, the Ministry announced that Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu had directed the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to halt all SHS graduation ceremonies with immediate effect. The suspension will remain in force until the regulations governing such events are revised.
The move follows a directive by the GES a day earlier banning the presentation of extravagant gifts—including motor vehicles and money bouquets—on school premises. The Service cautioned that heads of schools who permit such practices would face sanctions.
While the GES directive sought to regulate activities associated with post-examination celebrations, the Ministry’s latest intervention extends to the suspension of graduation ceremonies pending the review. The two directives followed the circulation of videos on social media showing parents presenting expensive gifts to their children on school grounds after the completion of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
One of the videos showed a mother presenting her daughter, a student of Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School, with a vehicle and a money bouquet on the school premises while fellow students celebrated around her. Another video showed a mother surprising her daughter at Serwaa Nyarko Girls’ Senior High School in Kumasi with a vehicle.
The Ministry said it had taken note of growing public concern about what it described as increasing displays of wealth and flamboyance during graduation ceremonies in some senior high schools. “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,” the statement said.
In its earlier directive, the GES said such displays on school premises could create socio-economic divisions among students, draw attention away from academic achievement and place pressure on students whose families may not be able to afford similar gifts. “Schools are designed to promote social equalizers where merit and personal effort take priority over economic status,” the GES statement said.
The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have clarified that while they do not oppose parents celebrating their children’s achievements, they object to displays that undermine the values schools are meant to uphold. The directive also follows an appeal by the Ghana Police Service on June 18, 2026, urging final‑year students to celebrate responsibly amid reports of indiscipline and violence linked to post‑examination activities in parts of the country.
The Ministry stressed that graduation ceremonies will remain suspended until the review of existing guidelines is completed, adding that school activities must embody discipline, responsibility, and the broader objectives of Ghana’s education system.
Source: Mohammed Ali
