The Minister of Education, Yaw Osei Adutwum, has declared that bullying in schools belongs to the past and has no place in the modern-day Ghanaian education system.
He condemned the manner in which second- and third-year students at some senior high schools bully freshers, known in the local parlance as “homoing”.
Dr Adutwum said such acts of indiscipline should not be tolerated in the 21st century. Rather, he said, schools should aim to create the right learning environment, one devoid of intimidation, so that students can perform well academically.
The minister argued that it is such acts which have led to students being maimed. He cited the case at Konongo Odumase Senior High School, in which an alleged incident of bullying led to the death of a student on 5 November.
Dr Adutwum regretted that various kinds of bullying have been a feature of Ghana’s school culture, but said the “time has come for us to end this, because homo is a thing of the past”.
End bullying culture now
Speaking at a public lecture in Accra on Monday (8 November) on using science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education to effect socio-economic transformation, Dr Adutwum stressed: “We have to understand that we are each other’s keeper and we should not be oppressors of our brothers and sisters.”
As such, the minister urged students to desist from all kinds of bullying and to create instead “a welcoming atmosphere for each other in school and not to become oppressors; the time has come for us to end this”.
“That homo in schools is a relic of the past and it should not have space in this century,” the minister said. “Fresh students who go to school should be treated like brothers and sisters and if you are in Form Two or Three you should be his or her keeper,” Adutwum urged students.
Dr Adutwum described how low he had felt speaking to the parents of the dead teenager before the lecture, saying: “It is a very sad moment indeed, and a strong discipline regime should prevail in our schools.”
Condolences
The minister expressed his condolences to the bereaved family again and said that the sector ministry will liaise with the law-enforcement agencies so that justice will prevail.
Touching on infrastructural development to enhance Stem and promote the country’s socio-economic transformation, Dr Adutwum said the Ministry of Education is building 11 model Stem-specialist senior high schools (SHSs) across Ghana.
Each will be equipped with 12 laboratories, making these schools among the best-resourced in the world.
In addition, a Stem pathway will be established in a number of existing SHSs, which will be equipped with an additional four laboratories.
The Minister of Education announced further plans by the government to transform the country’s society and economy through Stem education.
The plans, Dr Adutwum said, included building new Stem SHSs in ten communities, the construction of 20 regional Stem centres in existing SHSs and the construction of ten further new schools that will be fit for the 21st century.
E-blocks, V-blocks
The minister explained that the foundation on which the Stem institutions will be built includes completing critical infrastructure and facilities such as E-blocks, started by the National Democratic Congress government, as well as an initiative by the current government known as the V-block.
Dr Adutwum told the guests that “a robust introduction of Stem in this country will enable Ghana to achieve our objective of accelerating our socio-economic transformation, becoming a better contributor to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, facilitating the achievement of a 60:40 science-to-humanities ratio [and] facilitating the skilling of high schools”.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution can be described as integrating the physical, digital and biological worlds. It’s a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing and other technologies. It integrates cutting-edge production techniques and smart systems with organisations and,” the minister said people through technologies to drive and accelerate human progress.
Moreover, by introducing more study of Stem, Ghana will increase her national gross tertiary enrolment ratio (GTER) from the present 18.84% to 40% by 2030, Dr Adutwum said.
The minister was optimistic that this will enable the country to create the critical mass of educated Ghanaians with the appropriate skills for effecting socio-economic transformation.
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