GES asked to reintroduce canning of students in education system

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to reintroduce the canning of students into Ghana’s educational system to instil discipline in various pre-tertiary schools.
NAGRAT’s call comes after the Ghana Education Service (GES) in 2017 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.
“Henceforth, any GES/private school staff who inflicts corporal punishment on any child in our schools will be dealt with per the policy guidelines of the service and subsequently referred to the appropriate institution to deal with it
We strongly advise that teachers, educational workers and staff of public and private educational institutions should continue to exhibit the best professional conduct throughout the entire process of educational service delivery to pupils and students, without having to resort to corporal punishment,” GES said in a statement.
Enforcing the ban in 2019, GES asked teachers in both private and public schools to immediately adopt the Positive Discipline Toolkit together with other sanctions prescribed in Appendix 2 of the Head Teachers’ Handbook as measures for correcting pupils and students in schools.
“in view of this, the Positive Discipline Toolkit containing positive and constructive alternatives to correcting children was developed in 2016 as a component of the Safe Schools Resource Pack
Management is directing teachers in all pre-tertiary schools (public anal private) in Ghana with immediate effect, to adopt the Positive Discipline Toolkit (copy enclosed) together with other sanctions prescribed in Appendix 2 (Unified Code of Discipline for Basic Education Schools) of the Head Teachers’ Handbook (2012 edition) as measures for correcting pupils and students in schools,” the Ghana Education Service said in a press release.
In response to a question on the GTV Breakfast show monitored by Pretertiary.com about whether the canning of students to be reintroduced in schools, President of NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu said “Why not? Ever since we removed it what has been the outcome?
He added “People created an impression that canning was a bad thing, but teachers can under conditions where the headmaster has to give his permission and even supervise the canning. It was not a free-for-all situation in the schools.”
Mr Angel Carbonu further urged parents whose wards are in various pre-tertiary schools across the country to have faith in the authorities that they have surrendered their children 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.
We all have to come back to the roundtable and ask ourselves whether the way we are going is good for us all,” the President of the Graduate Teachers Association said speaking on GTV’s Breakfast show with host Kafui Dey.
Carbonu’s comment follows the death of the O’Reilly Senior High Student also a 2024 WASSCE candidate who was stabbed by his colleague with a knife during an argument over whose parent is wealthier than the other.