President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Eric Angel Carbonu, has called for a review of the disciplinary regime in senior high schools to restore sanity at the sector.
He says indiscipline has been rife in the senior high schools since the government introduced a policy for headmasters not to take disciplinary measures against students who misbehave.
In an exclusive interview with TV3’s Labour Affairs correspondent, Daniel Opoku Monday, February 24, 2025, Mr. Carbonu lamented the incessant indiscipline in the schools as a result of the policy calling for it to be overhauled.
“[One comes to] senior high school with a certain aggregate. After first year the person is not performing. The person did not come to school to learn and the you say that person should remain there from first year to second year to third year and go out of the school.
“So, we are not even repeating people for people to reevaluate themselves. We are not withdrawing people for lack of performance. There is someone since he came to first year, did not attend classes till he was writing exams at the third year. And when heads of schools want to take disciplinary measures, you tell heads of schools that the dispensation that we are in, you cannot take measures to withdraw students. We need a total overhaul for the disciplinary regime that we have in our schools,” he stated.
His comments come on the back of the temporary closure of Sokode Senior High Technical School on Sunday, February 23, 2025, following a clash between students and residents of the Sokode community.
Reports from the area indicate that some ‘notorious’ students from the school stormed the community on Friday, February 21, without permission to confront the local residents.
This led to one of the residents sustaining an injury.
In retaliation, around ten young people from the community besieged the school premises on Sunday, February 23, seeking revenge.
During the confrontation, the student population of over one thousand clashed with the smaller group of town residents, overpowering them.
As a result, the community members sustained injuries, with some students also being hurt.
Some school property, including a vehicle belonging to a staff member, were also damaged.
The violent clash in the afternoon drew the attention of the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, who intervened by deploying security officers to restore calm.
Following an emergency meeting with school authorities and community leaders, it was decided that the school be closed indefinitely.
