The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has called for zero tolerance for bullying, violence and criminal conduct in schools, stressing that educational institutions must remain safe spaces for teaching and learning.

He said schools must not condone acts of violence, bullying or other forms of serious misconduct, noting that discipline was central to building responsible citizens and promoting national development.

Iddrisu made the call at a national conference on the theme, “Stemming Growing Indiscipline in Schools in an Emerging World,” held in Sunyani in the Bono Region.

The conference brought together education administrators, teachers, parents, traditional and religious leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders to discuss practical measures to address growing indiscipline in schools.

The Education Minister expressed concern over reports of students carrying weapons to school, substance abuse and incidents of violence in some educational institutions, saying the trend required a collective response from parents, schools and society.

He observed that children often received conflicting messages from their homes, schools and communities, making it necessary for stakeholders to work together to promote acceptable standards of behaviour.

Iddrisu said recommendations from the conference would help shape policies aimed at strengthening discipline within Ghana’s education system.

Character formation

The Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, said education should go beyond academic excellence to include character formation, discipline, integrity and responsible citizenship.

He called for stronger parental involvement, effective school leadership, guidance and counselling, mentorship and values-based education to help address indiscipline among learners.

During a panel discussion, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, said although child-friendly disciplinary measures, safeguarding policies, and guidance and counselling systems had been introduced following the abolition of corporal punishment in 2017, implementation remained a major challenge.

He said the growing influence of technology and social media, coupled with changing societal values, required stronger collaboration among parents, schools and communities to instill discipline and preserve positive Ghanaian values.

Whole-community approach

A Kenyan educationist, Professor Fatuma Nyaguthii Chege of Kenyatta University’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning, advocated a whole-community approach to discipline.

She urged stakeholders to focus on developing self-discipline among learners through guidance, counselling and parental involvement rather than relying solely on punishment.

The conference continued with breakout sessions, during which participants discussed practical measures to address indiscipline in schools.

Preliminary reports from the sessions are expected to be presented and discussed as stakeholders work towards developing recommendations to strengthen discipline in educational institutions.

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