The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review disciplinary measures in schools to nip in the bud the rising levels of indiscipline and violence.

Their request follows growing indiscipline among students, especially in Senior High Schools (SHSs).

A very recent case is the busting of a student of Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School (OKESS) found in possession of a locally manufactured pistol on May 14, 2025.In light of this, the group, in a statement, has suggested some rules for the GES to approve and announce their enforcement to help regulate the conduct of students nationwide.GES, according to NAGRAT, has until May 31 of this year to do so accordingly or risk dealing with the "series of actions that will ensure that teachers are protected in our schools" by June 1.They suggested the following:

Public announcement by the Director-General of GES empowering school authorities to immediately dismiss any student who attacks or causes physical injury of any kind to a teacher or any member of staff.

Any student found in possession of any weapon of any kind or shape should be immediately dismissed.

School authorities must be given the power to repeat students who have performed below the academic threshold without recourse to higher authority.The National Council of NAGRAT calls on the Director-General of GES to make these pronouncements public by the 31st of May, 2025.If by the 1st of June, 2025, the GES fails to make these pronouncements, Council mandates the leadership of the Union to start a series of actions that will ensure that teachers are protected in our schools.

NAGRAT continued that schools are gradually becoming unsafe for both students and teachers, likewise with the alarming presence of weapons such as guns and machetes.

Citing examples, NAGRAT mentioned Mr. Walter Yesotor Adanunyo of Christian Methodist High School, who was attacked for preventing students from cheating during exams, and Mr. Ebenezer Kateya of Accra High School, who was assaulted for enforcing dress code rules.

The group also referenced a student at OKESS who was recently caught with a firearm.

NAGRAT attributed the rise in violence to several key issues:

Admission of students who failed the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE)

Political interference in school disciplinary processes

The inability of school authorities to repeat underperforming students

Bureaucratic challenges in removing disruptive students

“The situation is deteriorating fast. If not addressed, we fear we will soon hear of deaths, rape, and extreme violence in our schools,” the statement warned.

To combat the crisis, NAGRAT’s National Council is demanding the implementation of the following measures:

A public directive from the GES Director-General empowering school authorities to immediately dismiss any student who assaults a teacher or staff member.

Automatic dismissal of any student found in possession of a weapon.

Authority for school heads to repeat students who fail to meet academic standards, without needing approval from higher authorities.

It would be recalled that the Ghana Education Service (GES) officially banned corporal punishment in schools in 2017 under the Akufo-Addo-led government and the education minister, Dr Yaw Adutwum, citing that the move was part of efforts to promote a safe and protective learning environment for students.

GES, after two years, ordered that a Positive Discipline Toolkit, which provides alternatives to corporal punishment, be adopted by all teachers.

However, some critics have argued that the ban lacks legislative backing, as Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) still allows reasonable force for correction.The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) conducted a study on indiscipline in Ghanaian senior high schools, published in November 2024. The research found that indiscipline had increased following the ban on corporal punishment.

They cited limited disciplinary options, overcrowding, and inadequate facilities coupled with their effects of reduced teacher authority and potential long-term consequences.