The Vice-Chancellor of Sunyani Technical University, Ing. Prof. Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, has called for the reinstatement of corporal punishment in schools. He attributes the rising student indiscipline to the Ghana Education Service’s 2017 ban on all forms of corporal punishment.
During the 63rd Speech and Prize-Giving Day at Sunyani Senior High School, Prof. Adinkrah-Appiah expressed concerns about the lack of discipline in many schools nationwide, linking it to unchecked deviant behaviors among students, such as smoking, alcoholism, armed robbery, and hooliganism.
He stated, “The current situation is not helping very much because when the government took away or withdrew corporal punishment from the school system, there has been laxity in the system. And the children may do anything and go scot-free. So I believe that the government should look at corporal punishment again. I’m sure many people have mentioned it in the past.”
“But the government needs to reconsider its decision on corporal punishment and bring it back but monitor it so that it should become the last resort. Bad characters are due to peer pressure. How do we monitor and guide the children in school before they complete?” he added.
In 2019, the Ghana Education Service (GES) issued a directive banning teachers from using corporal punishment.
The ban called for the adoption of a new disciplinary toolkit and alternative sanctions as measures for correcting students, citing the physical and emotional harm caused by corporal punishment.
The subject has sparked mixed reactions among Ghanaians and education stakeholders.
The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) advised its members to adhere to the GES directive, while the Methodist Bishop of Accra warned against a total ban on caning, fearing it would lead to a breakdown of discipline in schools and society.