Accra, July 3, GNA - Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, Minister of Education and Sports on Sunday hinted that the Ghana Education Service (GES) had established Guidance and Counselling units in all second cycle schools to help address the problem of indiscipline among students. He said the GES had also instituted a disciplinary code where heads of schools, boards of governors, school management committees and parent teacher associations had been mandated to enforce discipline in their respective schools as well as surcharge those who destroy school property during demonstrations.

This was contained in a speech read on the Minister's behalf by Dr Albert Adomako, Coordinator of the Capacity Building Programme of the Ministry at the first National Students Fellowship Convention of the Salvation Army Church in Accra.

The three-day convention that attracted delegates from all the ten regions was to enable the youth to share ideas and experience as well as attain a common objective.

The theme for the convention was: "Christ for the children and Christ for the youth".

Mr Osafo Maafo also advised final year students in second cycle schools not to view their registration for their final examination as licence to flout school rules and regulations.

"I want to make it clear that a registered student can be barred from examination once the school dismisses him. All we need to do is to inform the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to delete the name of such a student from the list of the candidates. This will be done without any refund of the examination fees paid to the affected student," he said.

The Minister urged parents to play a critical role in the upbringing of children both at home and in school. He said parents should also identify the hobbies and friends of their children before they become used to bad traits, which could eventually ruin their future.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jessica Dali, Territorial Secretary for Women's Ministries, urged the youth to take their studies seriously to enable them to assume their future responsibilities.

She advised student not to regard the convention as an occasion for merrymaking but as a time for stocktaking and objective assessment and evaluation of the achievements chalked during the previous years. 3 July 05