Thomas Musah, the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), has expressed deep concern over the erosion of moral values and discipline in Ghanaian schools.
His comments come in the wake of a disturbing viral video showing a student from Accra Academy Senior High School using a cutlass to flog two of his peers.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and reignited debates about the state of discipline and character development in the country’s educational institutions.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, February 2, Musah lamented the loss of conscience and character in schools, warning that the trend could have dire consequences for the nation if not urgently addressed.
“As a nation, character and conscience, we have lost it. We are now training people with knowledge, but for their character and conscience, we have lost it. If care is not taken, we will all be in trouble in the coming years. This is something that policymakers must take a serious look at,” he stated.
Musah attributed the decline in discipline to the weakening of authority within schools, particularly the diminished role of headteachers and teachers in maintaining order.
He recalled a time when headteachers were empowered to enforce discipline and parents actively collaborated with schools to correct their children’s behaviour.
“When I was in elementary school, the headteacher was so empowered that no student could misbehave in the school. Parents could even come into the schools and report their wards to the teachers. Teachers, at the time, were empowered.
“Today, teachers have been disabled. There are instances where when things happen at the school, the children will go and inform their parents, and they will come to the school and beat up the teacher. So, when things happen, the teachers cannot talk because when they do, either the students or the parents will come after you,” he explained.
The Musah emphasized the need for a collective effort to restore discipline and moral values in schools. He called for the empowerment of headteachers and school administrators to enable them to enforce rules and maintain order effectively.
“It looks like nobody cares, and we are saying that it is free for all. The earlier we come together and empower the headteachers and school administrators like it used to be, the better for all of us,” he stated.
