By: Nana Ama Gyapong
There is a saying that, to spare the rod is to spoil the child. For this reason, the NAGRAT President, Angel Carbonu has suggested that caning of students should be reintroduced into Ghana’s educational system in order to keep students in check and to instill discipline in our schools as well. He made this submission during an interview with Kafui Dey on GTV’s Breakfast show.
This comes at the back of the O’REILLY Senior High Student who was stabbed by his colleague with a knife during an argument over whose parent is wealthier than the other. According to Mr. Carbonu after being asked by Kafui if caning should be reinforced in schools, he said, “why not? Ever since we removed it what has been the outcome? He went ahead to site an example saying, “want to remember the students who finished writing their WASSCE exams and burnt their dormitory in the Ashanti Region? “People created an impression that caning was a bad thing, but teachers cane under conditions where the headmaster has to give his permission and even supervise the caning. It was not a free for all situation in the schools”.
Mr. Carbonu concluded by stating that parents should have faith in the
authorities that they have surrendered their children to, to ensure that the environment is set in harmony. Parents should not stay outside the school and try to manage the affairs of their wards if not when situations like that happen, the teachers are forced to withdraw and not get involved.
He ended by saying, “we all have to come back to the roundtable and ask ourselves whether the way we are going is good for us all”.
Preceding to the ban on canning in basic and senior high schools, teachers used to punish students for a wide range of infractions, some serious, some extraordinarily minor while others used the Holy bible in the book of Proverbs 23:13-14:”Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death” to abuse the use of corporal punishment on students.
Due to this, the Ghana Education Service in 2019 officially banned all forms of corporal punishment of children in schools in Ghana as part of efforts aimed at promoting a safe and protective learning environment for children.
