Two major teacher unions are raising red flags over what they describe as a troubling rise in student violence, following clashes in the Central Region involving students of Obrachire Senior High Technical School and Swedru School of Business in Agona Swedru.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) are calling on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to urgently convene an emergency meeting to develop and enforce a comprehensive student code of conduct.

According to the unions, while teachers operate under a clearly defined GES code of conduct, there is no equally binding framework regulating student behaviour, a gap they believe is contributing to repeated cases of assaults and unrest on school campuses.

General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Tank Musah, expressed deep concern over what he sees as a growing breakdown of discipline.

“The only code of conduct we have now is what we call the GES code of conduct for the teaching staff, and that one is clear. That particular one is specifically for teachers. It has a wide range of limitations regarding what the teachers can do and what the teachers cannot do, and we have told our teachers to stay by the code.”

He stressed that while teachers are strictly regulated, there appears to be no equivalent framework clearly outlining acceptable and unacceptable behaviour for students.

“Given this, some students have even taken advantage to beat teachers. The recent one is the WASS one and we have all these happening day in and day out. All what we are saying to GES is that let the sanctioned regime, the permitted behaviour we want, be documented,” he said.

Meanwhile, the GES has begun investigations into the recent disturbances and says sanctions will depend on the outcome of its probe, alongside long-term measures to curb recurring violence.

President of NAGRAT, Jacob Anaba, disclosed that his association had written to the GES as far back as 2025, proposing strict penalties, including dismissal for students who assault others on campus.

“We have written to the GES since 2025 to dismiss students who are found assaulting anybody on campus, so we think that the GES should immediately think about dismissing the students,” he said.

The unions insist that swift and decisive action is needed to restore order, protect both teachers and students, and ensure that schools remain safe spaces for learning.

Watch the video below:

A student of Obrachere Secondary Technical School has reportedly passed away days after allegedly being assaulted by fellow students during the District Schools Athletics Games. pic.twitter.com/pPiSjSxqEQ

— STATE AFFAIRS HUB (@StateAffairsHub) February 22, 2026