By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Oct. 21, GNA – Mr Akamugri Donatus Atanga, the Upper East Regional Minister, has charged Directors of Education to take decisive action to restore discipline and moral standards in schools to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
He said teacher absenteeism, student indiscipline, alcoholism and substance abuse among students and teachers, student riots and disregard for authority were worrying and undermining the quality of education and the development of responsible citizens.
Mr Atanga made the call at the 33rd Annual National Conference of Directors of Education (CODE), held in Bolgatanga on the theme: “From Policy to Classroom: District Leadership for Quality Learning Outcomes and 21st Century Skills for National Development.”
“As someone with a background in education, I am particularly concerned about the quality of education we are delivering and, especially, the apparent breakdown of discipline and moral standards in most of our schools,” he said.
He said the challenges were not minor administrative concerns but threats to effective teaching and learning, public confidence in schools and the responsibility of education to develop disciplined, responsible and morally upright citizens.
Mr Atanga urged education directors to strengthen supervision, enforce professional standards and ensure that misconduct was addressed fairly and firmly.
He said teachers must lead by example, while students must understand that their rights went hand in hand with responsibilities.
He also called on parents, traditional authorities and communities to support schools in guiding young people and reinforcing positive values.
“We must reclaim our schools as centres of academic excellence, discipline, character formation and moral integrity,” he said.
The Regional Minister said Ghana could not produce the skilled and responsible citizens needed for national development if the values and discipline underpinning meaningful education were neglected.
He further urged education directors to promote integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of educational resources, stressing that resources allocated to education must be used for their intended purposes.
Mr Atanga also called for equitable teacher deployment, adequate learning materials, improved school infrastructure and deliberate support for disadvantaged learners, girls and children with disabilities to ensure that every child had a fair opportunity to access quality education.
He said the education system must go beyond preparing learners to pass examinations and equip them with critical thinking, creativity, communication, problem-solving, digital literacy and practical skills to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.
He urged directors to strengthen technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship and career guidance to prepare young people not only to seek employment but also to create jobs and contribute to national development.
Mr Atanga urged participants to ensure that the conference produced practical recommendations and concrete actions that could be implemented and monitored in their respective districts.
“The true success of this conference will not be measured by the speeches delivered or resolutions adopted, but by the improvements that follow in our schools and classrooms,” he said.
He said the future of Ghana was being shaped daily in classrooms and called on education leaders to bridge the gap between policy and practice to achieve better teaching, improved learning outcomes and stronger discipline in schools.
The 33rd Annual National Conference brought together regional and district education directors, teacher unions and other stakeholders to discuss district leadership and measures to improve the implementation of education policies and learning outcomes nationwide.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Reporter’s email: [email protected]