The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA) has strongly endorsed the government’s directive to ban expensive, profit-driven graduation ceremonies in pre-tertiary schools across Ghana.
The association described the move as a necessary intervention to restore the core educational values of discipline, modesty, and character formation.
In an official statement signed by General Secretary Gapson Kofi Raphael, the NCPTA argued that lavish celebrations for kindergarten and primary school transitions promote commercialisation and entitlement rather than genuine achievement.
The council warned that rewarding toddlers with luxury creates a false sense of success that manifests as student indiscipline and unrest during senior high school years.
“Schools in Ghana were never built just to pass exams,” the council noted, reinforcing that traditional education emphasizes character over superficial pageantry. To illustrate the danger of misplaced priorities, the NCPTA referenced a timeless warning from Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, stating, “The purpose of education is to develop the intellect, and the moral and spiritual character of the child.”
To curb the rising financial burden on families, the council has proposed that official graduation ceremonies only be held at terminal milestones, specifically after junior high school, senior high school, and technical vocational institutes.
They further suggested replacing expensive academic gowns and rented catwalks with school uniforms, cultural displays, and skills demonstrations conducted strictly within normal school hours.
The NCPTA has directed all pre-tertiary institutions to review their current graduation practices alongside parents, traditional leaders, and educational regulators. Urging families to redirect graduation funds intobooks and counselling resources, the council appealed directly to parents to prioritise substance over style, concluding, “Choose correction over clout. Choose character over gowns. That is how we build Ghana, one responsible citizen at a time.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
