President Mahama calls for collaboration to address rising indiscipline in SHSs
President John Dramani Mahama has raised an alarm about a troubling trend: the rising indiscipline in Senior High Schools (SHSs).
He has expressed deep concern over the escalating issues of indiscipline across the country and is urging stakeholders to come together to address this situation.
A report from Citinewsroom.com highlights that Mahama’s comments align with warnings from the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), which has recently lamented the decline of discipline in schools.
NAGRAT has given the government an ultimatum to resolve the issue by the end of the month or risk protective actions from teachers against violent students.
Increasing incidents of unruly behavior, substance abuse, and poor academic performance have negatively impacted the reputation of Ghana’s SHSs.
Mahama believes it is time for collective action.
During a meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference at the Jubilee House on Friday, May 23, 2025, President Mahama emphasised the urgent need for collaboration to reverse this trend.
“There is a breakdown of values and morals, and that is creating some issues in our schools. There have been incidents where you find students with guns in our public schools. There is also the student who almost lost her eyesight because a student fired a gun,” he stated.
Mahama’s message to parents, teachers, policymakers, and students is clear: we must work together to address the root causes of indiscipline and restore order in our SHSs.
He also questioned how issues such as curriculum design, moral education, student discipline, and teacher absenteeism are being managed.
“So, what do we do about our curriculum, moral education, discipline, and teacher absenteeism? The inspectorate division of the GES cannot be everywhere at the same time to make sure that teachers are in school,” he noted.
Mahama called for closer cooperation between the GES and faith-based institutions to enhance accountability and monitoring.
“So, how can we collaborate with the churches and find out whether the teachers who have been posted to these schools are actually going to schools and teaching? I think collaboration will help solve the issue,” he added.
The future of Ghana’s youth is at stake.
In a separate discussion, President Mahama described the fight against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, as a highly complex challenge.
This issue is compounded by the country’s current economic difficulties and high youth unemployment.
He pointed out that limited job opportunities have driven many unskilled youths to engage in illegal mining activities for survival.
Mahama also differentiated between galamsey and legitimate small-scale mining, stating, “Small-scale mining, when properly regulated, is not illegal.”
NAD/KA
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