Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu has ignited a national conversation on whether Ghana should reconsider the ban on corporal punishment in schools, as concerns mount over rising cases of indiscipline among students.

Speaking at the National Conference on Stemming the Growing Indiscipline in Schools in Sunyani, Mr Iddrisu said the worsening disciplinary situation in educational institutions raises important questions about whether the current measures are sufficient to maintain order.

Rather than offering a government position, the Minister posed the issue as a subject requiring broad national discussion, indicating that President John Dramani Mahama, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education are all seeking views on the matter.

He urged the media and the wider public to contribute to the debate on whether corporal punishment should be restored as part of efforts to address misconduct in schools.

The discussion received support from several participants at the conference. Students and teachers from various senior high schools who spoke to JoyNews said they would welcome the return of corporal punishment, arguing that it could help strengthen discipline if properly regulated.

While backing the proposal, some students stressed that any policy allowing corporal punishment should include clear safeguards to prevent abuse or excessive punishment by school authorities.

Teachers also expressed concern that existing disciplinary measures have not been effective in addressing persistent acts of misconduct, including increasingly serious behavioural challenges in schools.

Ghana officially moved away from corporal punishment in 2017, replacing it with a positive discipline approach. As part of that transition, the Ghana Education Service, with support from UNICEF and other partners, introduced the Positive Discipline Toolkit to guide teachers in managing student behaviour without physical punishment.

However, GES Director-General Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis acknowledged at the conference that implementation of the alternative disciplinary framework has fallen short of expectations, despite the availability of the necessary policies.

The debate comes as the Education Ministry intensifies efforts to tackle growing indiscipline in schools. Mr Iddrisu has also reiterated that criminal behaviour must not be tolerated on school campuses, insisting that educational institutions must remain safe and secure places for learning.