The Ghana Education Service (GES) is considering stronger sanctions, including possible criminal prosecution, for Senior High School students involved in serious acts of indiscipline.
The move follows growing concerns over misconduct in schools, particularly cases involving the destruction of school property and other offences considered too severe to be handled solely through existing disciplinary measures.
Deputy Director-General of the GES, Professor Smile Dzisi, said the Service was examining all available options to ensure that students and staff who engage in or enable serious misconduct are held accountable.
Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of the 86th anniversary celebration of Odorgonno Senior High School, Prof. Dzisi said parents could be held responsible in certain circumstances, but some cases may require students to face the criminal justice system.
She said the GES would hold a national stakeholder engagement in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, next week to examine the causes of rising indiscipline among students and develop measures to address the trend.
“Any student that will be caught will be severely punished. Or any staff that will be caught condoning such actions will be severely punished,” she said.
The proposed measures could apply to serious cases involving significant destruction of school property and other acts of misconduct.
Meanwhile, Odorgonno Senior High School is seeking support to address critical infrastructure challenges.
The school currently uses its dining hall as a science laboratory, a situation authorities say has contributed to frequent damage to laboratory equipment and affected practical lessons.
The school also lacks a practical centre for visual arts students.
Headmaster Patrick Mensah has therefore appealed to individuals, organisations and other stakeholders to support the construction of a dedicated science laboratory and other facilities to improve teaching and learning.
