The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, has raised concerns over the growing decline of discipline in Ghana’s education system, particularly in secondary schools.
He attributed the problem, in part, to the frustration felt by teachers and school administrators who feel powerless to enforce discipline due to restrictive policies and fear of repercussions.
His remarks follow a disturbing incident at Accra Academy Senior High School, where a senior student was caught on camera 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 the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Asare expressed deep concern over the declining standards of discipline in educational institutions.
“If you speak with many of the heads of secondary schools, they will tell you that they have checked out because of what they believe it takes to correct or manage behaviours so as not to get to the level of such excesses some of which we are discussing today has been taken away from them and that they are unable to discipline the student. So, they only watch them do whatever they like and at the end of the month, they take their salaries,” he stated.
He further highlighted the frustration among teachers, noting that the lack of proper disciplinary mechanisms has led to a cycle of indiscipline
“The teachers have said this on my platforms. There is also the side where teachers are frustrated by the growing indiscipline, which will lead the indiscipline with other indiscipline. So, you have in some schools where school authorities use violence to address indiscipline. All these scenarios lead to the increasing radicalisation of the young ones. So, that is the situation we have in our schools,” he added.
