The Ministry of Education has issued a stern warning to students in second-cycle institutions, stressing that acts of lawlessness and misconduct will attract severe sanctions.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Abass Apaak, urged parents to take a keen interest in the behaviour of their wards and ensure they do not become agents of indiscipline in their schools or recruit others into misconduct.

Dr Apaak gave the warning in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he attended a side event on education.

“If they do not caution their ward or do not pay attention to the conducts of their wards in school and their wards engage in acts of lawlessness or misconducts, they should expect the most severe sanctions to be meted out to them.

“We need a discipline society. We cannot build the Ghana we want. we cannot think about a better future, if we look on for our future leaders to become indiscipline citizens and misconducting themselves. So, it is for our collective good to ensure that our students at all levels are discipline and act within the context of the law,” the Deputy Minister said.

His comments follow reported incidents of violence and misconduct in some senior high schools in the Eastern Region, including the alleged gang rape of a female student and the stabbing of another student during a Super Zonal Games competition, as well as an attack on a teacher at Kade Senior High School.

On the measures being taken, Dr Apaak stressed that the Ministry, under the leadership of Haruna Iddrisu, had taken a firm stance against indiscipline among senior high school students and had initiated prosecutions in some cases.

“Since we took over the reins of governance, I can give you several examples where the Ministry, through the Ghana Education Service, has acted swiftly.

“One popular incident is when a number of students, past and present, from Kade Senior High School assaulted one of their teachers, because he prevented them from cheating during the last WASSCE examination.

“Although the teacher had made peace with the students through the intervention of their families, we still insisted that the law ought to take its course. Subsequently, the students were arrested and taken to court. They were found guilty and were sanctioned to pay fines and sign a bond of good behaviour,” he said.

He added that two suspects had been arrested in connection with the rape case and were assisting the police with investigations, while the victim was receiving counselling and the necessary support for her rehabilitation. Investigations into the stabbing incident are also ongoing.

Dr Apaak further underscored the government’s commitment to inclusive education, noting that GH¢25 million had been allocated to support free tertiary education for persons with disabilities. He added that the government was equally focused on ensuring equal opportunities for girls.

“But we can't speak about education, equity, inclusivity, without also speaking about giving equal opportunities, particularly to the girl child.

“To ensure that we give equal opportunities to the girl child, to explore their full potential, and indeed to enjoy their full rights, we have introduced the free sanitary pad policy, which is in operation. What we call period poverty affects the girl child's education negatively.

“So, when girls begin to experience the natural processes of transitioning to womanhood, and they get their period, a lot of them, because of the lack of proper sanitary hygienic products, in this case, the sanitary pads, they use products that are not hygienic, which can lead to infections, and would affect their health, and sometimes even lead to fatalities,” he said.

Dr Apaak added that data indicates that access to sanitary pads improves confidence and school attendance among girls, justifying the government’s decision to roll out the policy nationwide.He maintained that discipline, inclusivity and equal opportunity must go hand in hand if Ghana is to raise responsible citizens and build a stronger education system.