GNAT Calls for More Reform Centers Amid Rising Student Indiscipline
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has raised alarm over the increasing cases of student violence across the country, urging the government to establish more reform centers to address what it describes as a growing threat to the educational system.
The call, made by GNAT’s General Secretary, Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah, follows a recent surge in violent incidents involving students in parts of Accra, including cases where students have been found wielding knives and attacking peers.
Speaking on August 1, Mr. Musah expressed concern over the apparent breakdown in traditional support systems that once played a crucial role in molding young people.
“Those institutions that help to shape the children—those institutions are no longer there,” he lamented. “We need more of the correctional institutions. There are children in their homes who cannot talk to their father, they cannot talk to their mother, and by the time the parents realize, the worst would have happened.”
He emphasized the role of reformation homes in helping wayward students turn their lives around. “Students are pulling out knives. If they go to these correctional centers and come back, they will change,” he stated.
Mr. Musah also called for a structured policy that empowers teachers to deal decisively with issues of indiscipline in schools. While he acknowledged the Minister of Education’s recent endorsement for teachers to take action, he stressed the need for proper documentation and clear guidelines.
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“Yes, the Minister has spoken, but we need a policy guideline to help us handle this thing very well so that the teachers themselves will not get into trouble,” he noted.
He further warned about the role of mobile phones and internet access in fueling indiscipline and violence among students. According to him, unlike in the past when parents were actively involved in knowing their children’s friends, today’s youth are forming harmful associations through the internet—right from their homes.
“Today, the enemy is in the house—which is the phone,” Mr. Musah said. “When the father or mother goes out, the child picks up the phone. The enemy is already in the house through the internet, and the child is engaging more effectively with that than with people around them.”
GNAT’s concerns come at a time when school authorities and stakeholders are grappling with a rise in student misconduct and violence, prompting broader conversations about reforming school discipline systems, digital safety, and teacher empowerment.
The Association is urging policymakers, parents, and the broader community to take immediate steps to safeguard the nation’s schools and ensure that educational institutions remain safe and conducive environments for learning.
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