Politicians to blame for Indiscipline in Schools – Lecturer

Dr. Eric Bimpong, a lecturer at KAAF University College, has attributed the issue of indiscipline in basic and high schools to politicians. He believes that the Free SHS Policy, introduced by the NPP Government, has prioritized students at the expense of discipline.

“Free SHS puts students first, which means whatever a student does is considered more important than the teacher. This has diminished the power of teachers,” he said in an interview on Opemsuo Radio’s Nkwantannanso with George Adjei on July 27.

According to him, teachers now fear repercussions and are hesitant to enforce discipline, as they risk losing their jobs.

“For instance, an English teacher punished a latecomer by making him write ‘I won’t be late again’ in a book. The following day, the student’s parent came to school and complained that it was too tedious.”

Dr. Bimpong highlighted that politics has infiltrated schools, and even becoming a headmaster requires political connections. As a result, teachers have little authority within schools. He cited an example of a secondary school where a teacher disciplined a student, and the teacher was reported to the police station.

Furthermore, he believes that the high levels of indiscipline are exacerbated by Ghanaians adopting foreign disciplinary practices without considering the cultural differences in child-upbringing.

“Implementing foreign disciplinary methods won’t be effective in Ghana because the way we raise children here is different. Therefore, using foreign methods leads to unfavorable results. Currently, only the headmaster can punish students as per the new rules in basic and high schools.”

Dr. Bimpong urged all stakeholders, including parents and teachers, to collaboratively establish effective disciplinary measures to address the issue of indiscipline in schools.

Story by Adwoa S. Danso