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The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah, has expressed deep concern over the erosion of moral values and discipline in Ghanaian schools.
His comments follow the emergence of a disturbing viral video showing a student from Accra Academy Senior High School using a cutlass to flog two of his peers, an incident that has sparked widespread outrage and reignited debates on discipline and character development in the country’s educational institutions.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, February 2, Musah lamented what he described as a loss of conscience and character in schools, warning of dire consequences if the trend is not urgently addressed.
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“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.
Recalling past experiences, he noted that headteachers once had the power to enforce discipline, with parents actively collaborating 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,” he recalled.
However, he noted that in today’s schools, teachers are often left powerless, fearing repercussions from both students and their parents.
“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.
Musah stressed the need for a collective effort to restore discipline and moral values in schools, urging 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.
The incident at Accra Academy has further fuelled discussions on the state of student discipline and school authority in Ghana, with many calling for urgent reforms to address these growing concerns.
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