General News of Friday, 28 October 2016

Source: Luv FM

Teachers in Kumasi turn classrooms into political arena

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Second-cycle students in the Ashanti Region are drawing attention of authorities to growing political discussions by some teachers in classrooms.

The Student Representative Council says it has received complaints from students in about 25 percent of schools with their teachers having turned classrooms into campaign grounds.

The leadership is appealing to authorities to intervene to ensure the practice is discouraged.

Coordinator of the Regional SRC, Raphael Sarkodie, says students from, at least, 35 schools have so far reported such experiences to his outfit, describing it as worrying because it’s at the expense of academic work.
But no teacher has been named.

Mr. Sarkodie says the matter has come up for discussion at various council meetings, adding it’s time to stop the practice as the group plan to name and shame teachers involved.

“We are not happy about it and if it continues we will name and shame,” he warned.

Headmasters of some SHS we visited are however surprised at the report.
Headmaster of T.I Ahmadiyya Senior High School, Yakub Abubakar, says he had warned his Staff never to discuss partisan politics with students.

A teacher at the school Kwaku Adutwum Sekyere however says he has received such complaints from students but could not identify perpetrators.

Some students who spoke to Luv Fm admit political jokes from teachers but say it is largely for civic education purposes.