Ghana Education Service Regional Director Attribute Gross Indiscipline Among Students To The Use Of Drugs

GES Northern Region Director, Alhaji Mohammed H. C.

The Nothern Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia has attributed the gross indiscipline, disrespect for authorities and frequent bad conduct among students in the region to the use of drugs.

According to him, some of the students, especially at the Senior High Schools level are allegedly using hard drugs such as Indian hemp, alcohol and also smoking cigarette. Others, he said, had also become reprobates because they secretly practice "sakawa".

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle in Tamale, Alhaji Cambodia cited that "a student in Pong-Tamale SHS was arrested with Indian hemp and when the school authorities queried him, he said apart from his mother-everybody in his home smoke Indian hemp. So such a student doesn't see anything wrong with smoking Indian hemp, and these are the things that influence them and at any least provocation they resort to violence".

It would be recalled that some students in three Senior High Schools in the Northern Region went on rampage destroying properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis last month. The schools include the Karaga, Nalerigu and Salaga TI Ahmadiya SHSs.

The students attacked their headmasters and destroyed properties including, school bus, three pickups, 91 flat screen computers and others.

As a result, the Regional GES dismissed all the students in the three schools numbering close to 3000. They can only be readmitted into the schools after they have re-applied, signed a bond to be of good behavior and also paid for the properties destroyed.

In spite of their rude behavior, students in those schools and the entire region continue to perform badly. The Northern Regional GES Boss, therefore, outlined his vision to improve the abysmal performance of schools in the region in both WASSCE and BECE examinations.

The first step he seeks to consider and implement vigorously towards the improvement of the performance of schools, Alhaji Cambodia indicated, was to instill high level of discipline among students and teachers.

He believed that through discipline, the teachers would play their expected roles by making sure they report to school on time, they did not leave classrooms before time, they did not absent themselves from school and also give out their best to students.

At the same time, he expected the students to also shun indiscipline, be punctual and study hard at all times.

Even though the region requires more support or resources, the Regional GES Director said that the government was doing well in providing some essential facilities and materials for most of the schools in the region, and thus prayed that the students would also do well to pass their examinations.

Alhaji Cambodia also appealed to parents, traditional leaders and other stakeholders to support the development of education and to also ensure that students do the right thing at home.