Archbishop Porter Girls Association holds symposium

Accra, Sept. 1, GNA - The Archbishop Porter Girls School, in collaboration with Archbishop Porter Girls Students Association, has held a symposium to educate parents and stakeholders on the fallen standards of discipline in the country.

The event, which forms part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the school, is to help reverse the indiscipline, which has eaten into the youth, which needs to be checked before it gets out of hand.

Mrs Mary Armah Brako, the Headmistress, made this known when she spoke on the theme: Discipline in Ghana's educational institutions, past, present and future: impact on growth and development.'

She said discipline is an important aspect of the institution and the school management as it prepares student to uphold upright characteristics to take up the leadership mantle.

Mrs Brako said it is impossible to work and achieve success in an indiscipline environment as discipline is an orderly behaviour for the attainment of institutional goals.

'Without discipline no educational as well as institutional sectors can prosper which therefore makes it imperative for such institutions to abide by and follow to the letter.'

She noted that the cholera crisis that hit the nation was indeed the act of indiscipline by Ghanaians as they litter and free themselves anywhere convenient to them causing the death of thousands of people.

She said indiscipline has been committed with impurity by political leaders, stakeholders and parents which have left the country in a chaotic situation.

Mrs Brako thus, called on government, parents, stakeholders as well as the media to have an integrated approach in solving the problem as it undermines national development.

Dr Samuel Hayford, Dean Special University of Education Winneba adding his voice to the theme said, the kind of food eaten by mother's right from the day they become expectant throughout the delivering process is also a contributing factor which needs not to be overlooked. He did not however explain his claims.

He said the 21st century child and youth find it very hard to obey rules and regulations as far as moral uprightness is concern.

Dr Hayford noted that in 2013 records showed that thousands of secondary students were expelled from school with others given indefinite suspension for flouting disciplinary measures.

He added that there is the need to improve teacher's skills, admonition people when they do wrong and award respect and hard work that way the country would move a step forward in solving the situation.

Professor Kwame Karikari, Lecturer at the School of Communications Studies, Legon, said the problem of indiscipline has nothing to do with any child, student and institute but rather the leadership of the country.

He said indiscipline has got to the point where bad triumph over right, saying 'we are living a big lie as society which should be checked critically'.

Prof Karikari said time goes on it has become necessary for disciplinary methods to be reviewed to get people to do the right thing.

He urged people to tell the truth and be honest with themselves since the current system does not make people to tell the truth 'because telling the truth means admitting to a painful punishment' which he said should be done away with.

He said not withstanding these bad sides of indiscipline there are some schools and institutions that uphold discipline in high esteem which is a good venture.

He said undermining democracy and making it a cynical practice and monetising everything is not good for the country, which needs to be looked at from all spheres.

Mrs Irene Adanusa, former General Secretary of Ghana National Association of Teachers stated that discipline is like fire, it could cook your delicious meal and at the same time burn down your house.

She said in like manner it could make parents and a nation proud by the success of children and citizens and could bring chaos.

She said discipline brands people, brings about good governance and called for all state agencies to instill discipline back into the society.

Mr Prosper Dzidse, President of National Union of Ghana Students called on government, parents and stakeholders to do something about the menace as the youth are dancing their future away with the act of indiscipline on campuses and everywhere.

GNA