A respected educationist and former Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Professor Stephen Adei, has sounded an alarm over what he describes as a deepening crisis in Ghana’s education system.

He said the country is in the grip of a serious moral and institutional breakdown, particularly in its basic and secondary schools.

Appearing on JoyNews on Wednesday, May 7, Prof Adei emphasized the importance of a functional public education system in nation building.

He warned that Ghana cannot depend on private schools to raise its future leaders. “No country can train its children in private schools,” he said. “We all must make sure that the public school system works.”

Prof Adei painted a troubling picture of what he believes is happening in the country’s secondary schools. According to him, students are increasingly engaging in acts of indiscipline, including occult practices and inappropriate sexual behavior.

“Today, the indiscipline, the occultism, the homosexuality, and unthinkable things are going on in our secondary schools,” he remarked.

While the Free Senior High School policy continues to dominate national education conversations, Prof Adei believes the real issues are being overlooked. “The education crisis is at the primary and secondary level,” he said. “Free SHS is what they talk about, but the real issue is the moral discipline and the material, which are going to be the leaders of tomorrow.”

He called for urgent intervention to restore values and discipline in the public school system, warning that ignoring these problems will have long-term consequences.

Prof Adei said the country must recommit to providing quality, values-based education, especially for younger students who are most vulnerable to negative influences.