Senior high schools across Ghana have seen a surge in violent incidents, prompting the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) to call on the Ministry of Education to evaluate existing disciplinary policies before implementing new ones.
Evidence‑Based Approach Needed
Executive Director Dr Peter Anti, speaking on Citi FM on 2 September 2026, warned that decisions on school discipline should stem from research rather than assumptions about the causes of recent violence. “We need to base decisions on evidence and proper research,” he said.
Re‑examining 2015‑16 Policy Shift
Dr Anti highlighted the 2015‑16 abolition of corporal punishment and the introduction of a positive discipline toolkit, questioning whether the change has been evaluated after nearly a decade. “To what extent have they evaluated that shift in policy in 2015‑16? That is almost 10 years now,” he asked.
Recent Incidents Prompt Call for Stronger Security
Violent episodes at Okuapeman Senior High School and Mount Sinai Senior High School in the Eastern Region resulted in injuries, hospitalisations and the destruction of classrooms, a Visual Arts studio, a teachers’ office, examination papers and certificates. A storeroom and the boys’ washroom at Mount Sinai were also burnt. Dr Anti urged authorities to bolster security, noting that reliance on watchmen at school entrances may be insufficient to prevent conflicts from escalating.
He cautioned against hastily linking the recent violence to the abolition of corporal punishment, adding, “I think that we need to hasten slowly with attributing reasons to why some of these things are happening.”
Further details are pending from the Ministry of Education.
