President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Kwasi Gyamfi, has questioned Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s decision to invite churches to help address rising indiscipline in schools, arguing that religious institutions were previously sidelined despite their role in shaping students’ behaviour.
Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, Bishop Gyamfi described the meeting convened by the minister as “disheartening”, saying the causes of indiscipline should already be clear to those responsible for education.
He questioned why the minister needed stakeholders to explain the problem, particularly when churches had previously contributed to discipline and character formation in schools.
“And to invite the very people they have chased out, who were doing these things, to come and discuss why,” he said.
Bishop Gyamfi argued that discipline must be deliberately taught rather than expected to develop on its own. He said schools should combine academic instruction with values and character development to help students understand acceptable conduct.
“They do not come by accident. They come by teaching the children. You must have people to teach them these values, in addition to academic excellence,” he said.
He maintained that leaving students without adequate guidance would only worsen disciplinary challenges.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference president said he considered the meeting unnecessary because, in his view, the solution was already obvious.
“I think that was, I would say, a meeting you should not have called at all, because the answer is what? It’s obvious,” he added.
