Daniel Fenyin, an Educationist and Counselor, has recommended to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to give back teachers and principals their disciplinary authority, so they can discipline pupils for misbehavior.

He claimed that by doing this, teachers will be able to exert total control over the children they teach and manage student behavior. In reaction to an incident at Cape Coast’s Adisadel College where a student was assaulted by another student, Mr. Fenyin made this request.

He asserted that the recent modification that prevented teachers from punishing students for their own misdeeds and required them to seek GES’ approval before doing so, had bred indiscipline in classrooms.

The Educationist averred that this development had encouraged some students to misbehave in class, since they are aware that their teachers had little power to discipline them.

“All powers and authority have been taken from the teachers. Teachers have been made to see their work as only to teach and nothing more. The role of the teacher as a professional who is supposed to mold the character of students, has been taken.”
Daniel Fenyin

According to Mr. Fenyin, bullying was not clearly defined in the code of conduct that applied to Senior High Schools from the GES. He underlined that some high school seniors utilized their position of authority to abuse and attack their juniors. Therefore, he asked the GES to define bullying and attacks, specifically to address this social issue in schools.

In a recent viral video, a student from Adisadel College was seen attacking another. In the footage, the pupil can be seen choking a colleague from behind, before slamming his head into a bunk of a bed. However, both the victim and the offender have been placed on indefinite suspension. The culprit would not be allowed to sit for his final examinations, while the victim would be accompanied to them.

Mr. Fenyin insisted, however, that the victim’s punishment be re-evaluated and that he be given counseling to help him recover from the incident.

Management Of ADISCO Directed To Submit Report Today

The management of Adisadel College has been instructed to submit the findings of the investigative team, formed to look into the bullying situation in the school to the Ministry today, as stated by Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, the Deputy Minister for Education in charge of General Education.

The instruction is a revision to the inquiry team’s original timetable, which called for them to look into the matter and produce a report in two weeks.

The Deputy Minister also gave the school administration the mandate to launch an instant psycho-support system for all of the school’s final-year students, as they get ready to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of Public Relations for the Ghana Education Service (GES), said the conclusions of a meeting between the school administration and the parents of the students were among the outcomes of separate meetings with the administration of Adisadel College, the parents of the victim, and the perpetrator.

She further stated that as part of the meeting’s resolution, the Ministry had promised to help with the victim’s medical evaluation in order to make sure that the occurrence had not caused him to have any serious health problems.

As a result, Madam Ampofo said the victim was transferred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital for the medical examination, following the meeting at the ministry in the company of Rev. Fordjour.

The purpose of the meeting was to provide the ministry and its agency, the GES, the opportunity to learn more about the incident that took place.

Following the viral video, the GES released a statement in which it expressed its profound concerns and denounced what it called “barbaric acts of violence in our schools.” The statement read, “We commend the school administration for acting quickly to suspend the offender pending further investigation.”

The Regional Director of Education was then instructed to coordinate with the school administration and the pertinent law enforcement agencies to look into the situation and take the necessary action. The declaration gave the public reassurance that GES management was treating the situation with seriousness and was dedicated to providing a secure learning environment for all students across the nation.