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.
Editorial
Kudos to Ho Teaching Hospital staff, but …
Dear Editor,
If there is any group of professionals that get bad-mouthed the most, then you are referring to nurses and medical doctors assigned to public hospitals across the country.
For this particular letter, I want to sing the praises of this same group of professionals that work at the Ho Teaching Hospital, famously known as Trafalgar.
Despite the work load and the mass casualties received at the emergency ward of the hospital, the welcoming nature of the nurses and the professional touch by the doctors can’t be ignored. My personal experience has got me travelling from my base in Accra to seek medical services from these professionals.
Special mention has to be made of the likes of Precious of the Pharmacy Department, Dr Brandon Banor (a maxillofacial resident) of the Dental unit, male nurse Justice assigned to the female surgical ward. Words cannot really do justice to their affable, professional caring nature. A simple thank you is all that I can say.
In the same vein, I can’t but call out the bad attitude of the auxiliary staff and contractors of the hospital.
Chief among them is some of the contracted bank staff that handle the payment section of the hospital and the patient registration section (those that check the status of the patient as to whether they are fee paying patients or NHIS sponsored).
The attitude at times leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One such occurrence was a night staff of the registration section who had her legs on the office table whilst talking to patients.
The CEO of the hospital needs to shine his torch light on this support sections before they erode the awesome performance of the direct medical staff of the hospital.
Thank you for the space.
Kwesi Manu
Accra
Editorial
Develop policies to address disability concerns
Dear Editor,
AT the beginning of the year, when I went to the bank to deposit money into my uncle’s account, I observed a very sad situation where a man in a wheelchair struggled to navigate his way around the facility.
This is because the structure is disability unfriendly.
As I stood and watched how the man struggled to move his wheelchair, I felt sad and wondered if this is how the life of a disabled person should be. It becomes worse if there is no one to offer help.
In Ghana, People With Disabilities (PWDs) are often treated differently and are often subjected to all forms of discrimination.
Most of these people find themselves in such a situation as a result of unfortunate happenings such as accidents and injuries.
It is, therefore, not appropriate for anyone to discriminate against them. Discrimination against such persons take many forms, including how buildings are constructed.
Most of the public structures are not disability friendly and impede their movement.
As a country, we should consider the PWDs in designing our structures. I also think that there should be a national policy that seeks to address this issue.
I have a strong conviction that when such a policy is developed by the government, people with disabilities would feel appreciated and also promote social inclusivity.
Ray,
Kasoa
