The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, (GNAT) Thomas Tanko Musah, has called for an urgent review of the code of conduct of schools, to address the increasing levels of violence among students in recent times.

Speaking to the unfortunate shooting of an SDA student by a colleague, he lamented the fallen standards of discipline in schools.

He stated that the alarming rate of violent incidents in schools across the country require immediate attention.

Tanko Musah explained that holistic education hinges on the development of three domains of learning; the cognitive, affective and the psychomotor domain.

He, however, noted that recent happenings suggest that the affective domain responsible for the student’s attitude and sense of value for virtues is currently lacking.

“I always use myself as an example. I completed elementary school in 1982. The kinds of things our teachers had to deal with were things like chewing gum and placing them at the wrong places (sic).

“We got punished for sticking chewing gum under our tables, lateness to school, and talking excessively in the classroom. These days, the kinds of atrocities committed by students exposes a serious laxity in disciplinary standards,” he said.

He consequently demanded urgent actions from stakeholders in education, to support a review of code of conduct in schools to restore sanity in educational institutions.

Musah Tanko’s reaction follows a directive from Ghana Education Service (GES) that allows school heads to search belongings of students for harmful devices they could use to injure others.

In a statement dated April 7, 2025, and signed by Prince Agyemang-Duah, Director of the Schools and Instruction Division of GES, the service emphasised the need to improve safety protocols in schools.

The statement urged all school heads to implement immediate actions to protect both students and staff.

“We direct that school heads conduct thorough searches on all students, their bags, and other personal belongings in dormitories and classrooms. This measure is essential to prevent any potential harm to students and staff.

“We also direct school heads to conduct regular searches on students and their belongings, increase security measures in schools, educate students on the dangers of carrying harmful items, and encourage students to report any suspicious behavior or items to school authorities,” portions of the statement said.

VPO/AE

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