Ho, July 11, GNA - Some Junior High School students in Ho have said abuse by teachers was the cause of their poor academic performance. They said corporal punishment, insults and discrimination from some teachers tended to make some students bad and others timid. The students made the allegation at a day's sensitization on the Rights of children organized by the Ghana NGOs Coalition on Rights of Children (GNCRC).

Some of the students said they looked up to school as a refuge from abuses at home but the atmosphere at school sometimes did not help matters.

"Some of us take the school as our second home so when we come to school and we are maltreated, it frustrates us," a female JHS student told the GNA.

Mr Barimah Akwesi Amankwah, Programme Officer of GNCRC, appealed to teachers to love and respect the rights of the children. He said that was the only way children could develop their fullest potentials. Mr Fred Agbogbo, Volta Regional President of GNCRC, said the rate at which rights of children continued to be abused in the country was worrying. He appealed to teachers, parents and guardians to listen to children and involve them in decision making to avoid abuses. 11 July 11