By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah
Nungua, Feb. 03, GNA – Mr. Richard Kwashi Kovey, Convener for the Campaign Against Privatisation and Commercialisation of Education (CAPCOE), has blamed the breakdown of the family system and children’s heavy reliance on social media for the growing indiscipline in schools.
Mr. Kovey said these factors had significantly weakened the moral foundation of students, leading to a decline in discipline and respect for authority.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that parents played a key role in shaping the character of their children; however, many parents had now reneged on their responsibilities, leaving children to learn from social media and peers instead of receiving proper guidance at home.
He said in the past, families instilled strong values in children, but today, many parents were too busy to discipline their children, leading to negative behaviours in schools.
“Parents who are the first disciplinarians in terms of instilling moral discipline in their wards, guiding them on what they should do and how they should relate with neighbours and mates, are broken down because of the nature of work we’re doing now as parents. The children are now being taught by social media and things they find on the internet,” Mr. Kovey stated.
He urged parents to take their responsibilities more seriously by monitoring their children’s activities, limiting their time on social media, and providing moral guidance, noting that restoring discipline in schools required a collective effort from parents, teachers, and the government.
He highlighted that the high teacher-to-student ratio was also hindering educators from effectively supervising students beyond the classroom and certain student behaviours made it challenging for teachers to discipline or correct them appropriately.
He proposed the establishment of a task force with a security background to monitor students and help curb the growing concerns, saying that in the past, the fear of class repetition and withdrawal due to poor performance motivated students to strive for academic success; however, the dynamics had shifted in recent times.
Mr. Kovey called for an overhaul of the entire educational system and also proposed that the government introduced educational programmes that promoted positive behaviour and character development to ensure that students understand the importance of respect, responsibility, and good moral values.
GNA