Why this lavish post-WASSCE celebration when results are not yet out? -- Hamza Suhuyini
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Communications Team, Hamza Suhuyini, has questioned the growing trend of lavish post-WASSCE celebrations in senior high schools, asking why parents reward students before their examination results are released.
His comments come amid public debate over the increasing display of wealth on school campuses, where some students have received expensive gifts including vehicles, cash, money bouquets and other luxury items after completing the 2026 WASSCE.
The controversy has also prompted the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ban such celebrations, warning that headmasters who fail to enforce the directive risk dismissal.
Speaking on Accra-based TV3's New Day programme on Monday, June 22, Suhuyini questioned the rationale behind the celebrations, noting that the academic performance of the students remains unknown.
"I wanted to know whether indeed the students are done and their results are out. When I was told that it's just after completing, even the results are not out, I started asking myself these basic questions: What are parents even celebrating? What are they rewarding when the outcome is yet to be known in terms of your kids' performance?" he asked.
According to him, such displays have the potential to affect students from less-privileged backgrounds who may not receive similar treatment from their families.
"It is not enough for you to conclude that because I can afford, let me go and do this for my kids without considering the sensitive implications that would have on other kids. That is not the Ghana we have been trained in our homes to celebrate," he said.
Suhuyini also suggested that the development should reopen discussions on the Free Senior High School policy, particularly proposals that wealthier parents should contribute towards the education of their children.
He noted that some parents clearly possess the financial capacity to support educational financing and that policymakers should consider ways of strengthening the programme's sustainability.