Borrowed Policies, Broken Discipline: Time for Ghana to Reset Education

Ghana’s classrooms are in trouble. Teachers and parents keep reporting the same pattern: more indiscipline, more disrespect for authority, a rise in sexualized behavior among students, and rising teenage pregnancy in both JHS and SHS.

The numbers are worrying. GHS data shows 542,131 pregnancies among girls aged 15-19, and 13,444 among girls aged 10-14 between 2016-2020. In many communities, adolescent pregnancy is now described as “out of hand” and a major cause of school dropout.

Why? Many point to education policies we imported without asking if they fit our context. The 2017 GES ban on corporal punishment left many teachers without clear alternatives. UEW’s 2025 study concluded this contributed to a breakdown of teacher authority in class. Add rare sacking and almost no demotion for poor conduct or performance, and discipline becomes hard to enforce.

Ghanaians deserve to know who designed and pushed these policies, and what assessment has been done on their impact. Accountability matters when a whole generation is affected.

We need a reset. Let’s build education policy with Ghanaian teachers, parents, chiefs, and experts at the table. The goal should be simple: restore discipline, build character, and protect academic standards.

Anything less is a disservice to our students.

By Yentik Gariba,
Columnist, Moderghana.com