Builsa South Member of Parliament (MP), Clement Abas Apaak has called for urgent measures to address the “deterioration of discipline” in Ghanaian schools, particularly in secondary schools.
Speaking on Class 91.3 FM, Dr. Apaak emphasized that the responsibility for instilling discipline rests jointly with both school administrators and parents.
Apaak criticized the increasing trend of parents confronting teachers over the discipline of their children, with some even resorting to physical attacks on school authorities. He urged parents to collaborate with teachers to ensure discipline is maintained across the country’s campuses.
One of his key concerns was the sidelining of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) following the introduction of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Nana Akufo-Addo. Apaak noted that PTAs have now become Parent Associations, excluding teachers from direct involvement.
“How do you expect students to behave properly when teachers are not allowed to interact with parents to address issues together?” he questioned.
Apaak assured listeners that an incoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) government would reinstate PTAs to their former role, ensuring active collaboration between parents and teachers in managing schools.
“You can’t relegate parents to voluntary associations without the teachers,” he argued, stressing that the weight and influence of PTAs have diminished, disrupting regular interactions between parents and school authorities that once kept the system running smoothly.
Reflecting on recent incidents of student violence, including the stabbing of a student at O’Reilly Senior High School in Accra and the attempted strangling of a student at Adisadel College in Cape Coast, Apaak warned that these alarming trends were becoming more frequent in schools.
He noted that such incidents should be occurring in “ghettos,” not on school campuses. Apaak cautioned against adopting Western disciplinary methods, which he claimed were being pushed by donor agencies, and called for a return to traditional Ghanaian forms of discipline to curb the growing unrest in schools.
Speaking from personal experience, Apaak shared stories of his own misbehavior as a child and how discipline, both at home and at school, helped shape him.
He recalled an incident where his mother, a teacher, publicly disciplined him in front of his peers at a middle school in Wa, an experience he said made him a better person. “Did I die? No, I became a better person,” he reflected, advocating for the power of discipline in shaping character.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
