Student attacks on teachers
It has become a worrying trend to see students physically assaulting their teachers on social media recently.
Perhaps, isolated incidents of attacks on teachers occurred in the past but there was no opportunity to capture on video and share with the glee that we witness today.
The attacks that have been reported on staff at West Africa Senior High School (WASS) just recently, the violent confrontation at Kade Senior High Technical School during West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) last year, and the stabbing of a teacher at Takoradi Technical Institute among other shameful events expose a growing threat to the safety of educators and the integrity of Ghana’s education system.
As the nation joins others to observe World Day of Social Justice on the February 20, it is important to address this issue firmly and responsibly. Such acts are unacceptable.
Social justice
In this context, social justice means ensuring protection, discipline and respect for authority.
These are essential for every functioning society.
All professionals were taught by a teacher.
This makes them important pillars of learning and moral guidance. Violence against them, therefore, undermines the very foundation of education and erodes social respect for authority.
There are several reasons why such attacks occur. None of these justify the behaviour.
Some students react violently when disciplined or corrected, believing they can challenge authority without consequences.
Others are influenced by peers or social media, but these are explanations, not excuses.
What matters is that society establishes clear boundaries and consequences, so that students understand there is no tolerance for violence in schools.
GES
Ghana Education Service (GES) must take a strong stance.
Schools should implement strict enforcement of rules, ensuring that any student who assaults a teacher faces immediate and serious consequences including suspension, legal prosecution, and restorative measures that emphasise accountability.
At the same time, teachers need institutional support: safe classrooms, professional development in conflict management, and a clear mandate to maintain order.
Protecting educators is not optional; it is a societal obligation.
Teachers also have families who hurt to see their loved ones being attacked and humiliated by the very students they serve.
Parents and communities must bear their responsibility.
Social justice demands that families reinforce respect for teachers, discourage defiance, and collaborate with schools to prevent such misconduct.
Ignoring assaults, normalizing disobedience, or downplaying attacks sends a dangerous message that violence can succeed where discipline fails.
Students must understand that physical attacks against their teachers constitute criminal acts.
Safeguarding
Social justice in education means safeguarding those who guide and protect students, while ensuring these very students are held to standards that prepare them for responsible adulthood.
Discipline, accountability, and law enforcement are necessary measures to maintain order, safety, and fairness in schools.
World Day of Social Justice, is a timely reminder of what justice means within the classroom.
True social justice protects both educators and students It calls for fair treatment, clear rules, and consequences that uphold the dignity of teachers and the integrity of education.
Schools should be safe environments where learning thrives, authority is respected, and the tenets of social justice are upheld.
The writer is a Child development expert/Fellow of the Zero-To-Three Academy, USA.
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