In the span of five months in 2025, Ghana has witnessed students in possession of guns, machetes, knives, catapults, and other harmful implements while in school, perpetrating violent acts against teachers and fellow students.
The recent acts of indiscipline by students, which have met with many public condemnations from CSOs, education-oriented NGOs, religious organizations, and other stakeholders, have become a security threat in the country.
In light of this, Nana Amoako Gyampa, the Krontihene of Wamahinso Traditional Area in the Ahafo region, has urged the government to reintroduce corporal punishment in pre-tertiary institutions to address the growing acts of indiscipline.
He was addressing a durbar of students, parents, and stakeholders to climax the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) week celebration of Gyamfi Kumanini Senior High/Technical School (GYASTECH) in Wamahinso on Friday.
The school, established 34 years ago, with a current student enrollment of 868, offers both grammar-related courses and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
According to the chief, the reintroduction of punishment systems in schools will instill fear among students who might consider perpetrating violence, thereby preventing them from doing so.
Nana Amoako Gyampa noted that in times past, teachers had the authority to lash and assign other forms of punishment to recalcitrant students who breached rules and regulations, saying, “this instilled discipline among all of us.”
He indicated that the culture and child-rearing systems in Africa and European countries vary, urging policymakers in the country not to “copy and paste” foreign traditions, including the training of children.
Assistant Headmaster in charge of Administration at GYASTECH, Stephen Tiah Adams, said indiscipline in Senior High Schools has become so severe that students are able to hold the necks of teachers and punch them.
He stated that most students spent about two weeks at home before reporting back when school reopens. Others physically attack their fellow students, adding that boarding students could leave the school premises without permission.
He bemoaned how recent child rights and freedom issues have made teachers powerless in disciplining wayward students, saying that “the safety of teachers is under threat.”
Mr. Tiah Adams, therefore, solicited stakeholders, including parents, the education service, and traditional authorities, to collaborate in ending acts of indiscipline among students in the country.
A mining contractor and a former student of the school, Samuel Aboagye, implored the students to prioritize effective academic work to achieve their goals at school.
Mr. Aboagye reiterated the immeasurable contributions of TVET in nation-building, stressing that it is an erroneous impression that people with weaker minds pursue technical and vocational education.
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