Editorial
Increasing school indiscipline is a big concern
It is quite a concern to see how quickly school indiscipline is growing. The sooner actions are taken to stop this ailment in its tracks, the better.
In several Senior High Schools (SHSs), law and order had completely broken down, and indiscipline had spread throughout. Students today do not worry about punishment.
A youngster is sent to school to learn, but nowadays, children participate in all kinds of vices at the expense of their education, causing them countless troubles.
Students now frequently attack their peers and teachers with the slightest provocation and even go on rampages to destroy school property, which ultimately has an impact on the innocent students.
There have been reports that some students in schools practise despicable behaviours such as bullying, lesbianism, gayism, smoking, occultism, drinking and assault. Others also sneak out of class, cheat in examinations or even refuse to write exams.
An illustration of this is the recent video that went viral, in which a student from Adisadel College in Cape Coast attacked another student in the dormitory by putting his arm around his neck and slamming his head into a metal bed, severely injuring the victim’s face on one side.
At the Labone SHS, reports say that two students got into a fight, and one of them invited people to terrorise the school, a disturbing case that happened there. These are just examples of the many instances of student indiscipline that are slowly destroying society.
The Spectator is worried about the trend of indiscipline and chaos in schools.
Despite widespread outrage and condemnation, some people argued that the incident in the video was not an isolated one because similar things happen in schools frequently, but because they are not reported or recorded on video, the incident is not made public.
In reality, the incident in the video, went beyond the typical “homoing” that first-year students would usually experience as part of secondary school life.
Another specific case of disobedience was undoubtedly brought about by the student who took the video while using a cellphone inside the dorm, which is prohibited at SHS. Surprisingly, other students did not intervene instead they just stood by unconcerned.
Could it be that, in addition to the lack of infrastructure and the difficulty in feeding students, among other things that present a significant challenge to school authorities, the rising student population in schools as a result of the free SHS is making it harder for school authorities to control students?
Additionally, despite the fact that some children are stubborn, one can wonder if parents are doing a good job of raising their children at home.
What options are schools offering to discipline students who disobey rules and regulations now that corporal punishment is not used on them as per the Ghana Education Service’s (GES) directives?
Schools are being adversely affected by the Parent-Teacher Association’s (PTA) declining influence, as parents are no longer actively participating in school activities as a result of government regulations.
The Spectator urges schools to implement codes of behaviour and ethics with the necessary consequences in order to create an environment that is favourable to good teaching and learning.
The level of supervision required has grown over time, necessitating the implementation of controls to manage the vast student body. Teachers who have additional responsibilities should be well motivated to encourage them.
It is time to organise a National Stakeholders’ Forum to draw on their knowledge and brainstorm solutions to these urgent problems that will help stop similar problems from occurring in the future.
The PTAs must be looked at in order to complement teachers’ efforts because GES cannot run schools on its own. GES must provide the PTAs with the tools they need in order for them to operate effectively and contribute to the expansion of the schools.
Parents must be actively involved in the upbringing of their children to ensure that their children are raised well.
Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
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