Editorial
Indiscipline in schools worrying, need to address it
In recent years there has been growing concern over the behaviour of Senior High School (SHS) students in Ghana.
Notable among them is indiscipline, disrespect for authority, sexual immorality, substance abuse, betting, cheating during examination among others.
Recently, parents were stunned when the headmistress of Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, Mrs. Dorothy Adentwi-Hayford, displayed seized condoms, pills, and unauthorised items from students at the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting in Cape Coast.
Reports say that in a firm stance against growing indiscipline in the school, she placed the confiscated items on the high table as a visual illustration of the moral and disciplinary challenges some students posed.
Although the Headmistress declined to name the culprits, she assured parents that appropriate disciplinary actions, alongside counselling would be taken.
According to the Headmistress while the majority of students were disciplined a persistent few students continued to exhibit deviant behaviours that undermined the school’s standards.
Citing examples she noted that sneaking out without exeat, bullying, stealing, truancy, and general apathy towards academic work, was the order of the day.
What is so disturbing is that some parents attack the school verbally and place curses on school authorities for disciplining their wards without verifying the facts.
Such behaviour is uncalled for and the Spectator wants such parents to desist from that, instead they should collaborate with school authorities to find the best way to deal with indiscipline among students.
Parents must also take an active interest in their children’s welfare beyond just providing for their material needs and investigate issues when their children return home with complaints before jumping into conclusion.
These days the school’s structure has changed and with the increasing numbers without any corporal punishment school authorities find it difficult to discipline the children.
The behaviour of majority of students in schools is very disheartening. While some students take their studies seriously, others have taken to the use of drugs, sex, occultism, betting and all kinds of bad behaviours.
Corporal punishment has its own advantages and disadvantages and if the Ghana Education Service (GES) is not ready to reintroduce corporal punishment, then school authorities must be extra vigilant and put in stricter disciplinary measures to restore order in schools.
Most SHS students are in their teenage stages, a stage characterised by all kinds of behaviours and peer pressure activities so they must not be left alone, rather they must be guided as they explore the world.
The Spectator urges all stakeholders to make concerted efforts to check indiscipline and moral decadence in schools.
Editorial
Parents urged to take responsibility for sex education
Dr. Francis Wuobar, a Gynaecologist at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua has urged parents to take the lead in providing sex education to their children, stressing that they were in the best position to guide them through the changes of adolescence.
According to him, sex education remained a taboo subject in most Ghanaian homes, a culture that must change to prevent children from seeking misleading information elsewhere.
“With the evolving nature of society and technological advancements, today’s children will either learn about sex on the internet or from their peers, who may offer wrong advice,” he cautioned.
Dr. Wuobar noted that the health system and society often concentrate on the reproductive stage of life, neglecting the adolescent and menopausal phases.
“When a woman reaches the reproductive period and gets pregnant, everyone rallies around her. But before that stage, during adolescence, there is little attention and guidance, which has contributed to the rising cases of teenage pregnancy,” he explained.
He observed that many adolescents lack access to counseling and adolescent clinics, creating a vacuum that forces them to explore on their own.
“The answers they seek, adults and parents are not willing to provide. Their peers, who are equally uninformed, become their only source of advice. This exploration is one of the major contributors to teenage pregnancy,” he said.
Dr. Wuobar therefore called on parents to create open and confidential spaces for discussion, where children can freely ask questions about sex, puberty, and relationships.
He emphasized that parents must help adolescents understand the consequences of unprotected sex, the changes they go through, and what choices were right or wrong.
“Today’s generation is curious and asks questions, unlike in the past when children were silent. Parents should not rebuke them but rather engage them seriously and guide them through this turbulent stage,” he advised.
He further appealed to the health sector to establish more adolescent clinics across the country to give young people safe spaces to seek information and counseling.
That, he said, would help reduce the high incidence of teenage pregnancy and support adolescents in making informed decisions about their sexual health.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Editorial
Addressing unhealthy conditions at Akropong Mandela Market
Dear Editor,
The Akropong Mandela Market, a vibrant centre of commerce, has been in a terrible state for over a decade now.
Central to the problem is a public toilet located near the market, which has become a breeding ground for diseases and a source of discomfort for both food vendors and customers.
This toilet, utilised by everyone in the town, is positioned too close to the market, severely affecting the vendors who spend long hours selling their goods.
They are constantly exposed to unsanitary conditions mixed with foul odours emanating from the facility.
Agnes, a vendor at the market is sad about the apparent lack of concern from those responsible for maintaining the toilet. Despite collecting user fees, there seems to be little effort to keep the facility clean and hygienic.
The situation at the Akropong Mandela Market highlights the urgent need for effective waste management and sanitation infrastructure in public spaces.
Authorities must take immediate action to ensure the facility is regularly maintained and cleaned. Vendors and customers deserve a safe and healthy environment to conduct their daily activities.
In the meantime, the vendors are urging local government officials to intervene and find a lasting solution to this problem.
Only through collective action can the health and well-being of both vendors and customers be safeguarded to restore the Akropong Mandela Market to its former glory as a thriving commercial hub.
Addo Sarah Ansah Student,
UNIMAC–IJ(BACS26275)
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