The Minister of Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has declared a zero-tolerance policy towards indiscipline in Senior High Schools (SHSs), assuring school authorities of the government’s full support to enforce discipline and maintain safe learning environments.
He said headteachers and school administrators had the backing of the Ministry of Education, President John Dramani Mahama and the State to take firm action against acts of indiscipline, stressing that criminal conduct had no place in educational institutions.
“School authorities have no excuse not to implement the directives given by the Ministry. Criminality or criminal conduct should never find space in the school environment and should never be tolerated or accommodated. When that happens, the school environment becomes insecure and unsafe for learning,” he stated.
Mr Iddrisu made the remarks on Wednesday when he opened a two-day National Conference on Curbing Indiscipline in Senior High Schools in Sunyani of the Bono Region.
The conference, organised by the Ministry of Education, brought together education administrators, teachers, students, parents, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and development partners to discuss practical and sustainable measures to address indiscipline in second-cycle institutions.
Participants were expected to examine the root causes of indiscipline and propose practical interventions, with the recommendations to form the basis of a comprehensive policy framework to guide national efforts at promoting discipline and values-based education in schools.
Mr Iddrisu emphasised the need to inculcate positive Ghanaian values, including punctuality, honesty, hard work, responsibility and integrity, to prepare young people to become responsible and productive citizens.
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, attributed the growing behavioural challenges among students to changing social trends, inadequate parental involvement and the weakening of traditional support systems.
He urged parents to lead by example by demonstrating the values they expected their children to uphold, rather than leaving the responsibility solely to teachers.
Prof. Davis also called for stronger collaboration among parents, schools, government institutions and other stakeholders to review existing policies, strengthen regulations and develop effective strategies to address indiscipline.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Right Reverend Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, reaffirmed the church’s commitment to supporting efforts to restore discipline in schools.
He said measures to address indiscipline should be firm but restorative, and expressed confidence that the conference would produce practical recommendations to help create safer, more disciplined and academically conducive learning environments in Senior High Schools across the country.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, SUNYANI