The Minister of Education has expressed grave concern over the rising levels of indiscipline in senior high schools across the country, describing the trend as alarming and completely "un-Ghanaian."
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Minister stated that the government is committed to arresting the situation and announced that a major national conference will be held in Sunyani before the end of July to address the crisis.
The Minister highlighted shocking reports of secondary school students wielding weapons on campus, noting that such behavior contradicts the traditional values taught to Ghanaian children. He emphasized that parenting and character socialization must remain a shared responsibility between fathers and teachers.
To illustrate the severity of the problem, the Minister cited a recent incident at Prempeh College, where the school's old boys' association installed CCTV cameras to improve security. According to the Minister, a group of students deliberately pulled the cameras down because they did not want their actions to be recorded.
"That is indiscipline. That is unacceptable," the Minister stated, calling on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to mete out the heaviest sanctions against the culprits. He admitted that recent reviews of the school disciplinary regime have created a sense of laxity, leaving many students unpunished for serious misconduct.
The Minister also raised alarms over a growing drug menace on school compounds, revealing that some students now have the audacity to sell marijuana (cannabis) to their peers. Working in partnership with the Ministry for the Interior and the Narcotics Control Commission, the Education Minister advocated for the outright dismissal of any student caught dealing drugs to protect innocent students from being corrupted.
In the coming week, the Minister is expected to deliver an official, detailed statement to Parliament outlining the specific steps the government is taking.
As an immediate intervention, the upcoming national conference in Sunyani will bring together academics, the clergy, the Muslim community, teachers, and educationists to build a unified strategy to restore law and order in the nation's educational institutions.