Character education, discipline missing in most Ghanaian schools -  Prof Felix Hammond bemoans

The Chairman of the Governing Council of Dominion University College, Professor Felix Nikoi Hammond says a combination of character education and discipline is the best approach to reducing the increasing indiscipline in Ghanaian public and private schools.

According to him, the aforementioned will create a safe and nurturing educational community that fosters academic excellence and personal growth. 

Speaking to the media on Monday, July 31, 2023, in Accra, Prof Hammond explained that character education is aimed at cultivating positive values such as empathy, respect, self-discipline, punctuality, kindness, congeniality, and responsibility among students.

He indicated that introducing character education in schools will significantly reduce incidents of bullying and promote a healthy school environment. 

On the other hand, he said discipline will involve the enforcement of consequences for bullying behaviour to deter its recurrence and restore justice to the affected parties.

His call comes after a student was seen in a video assaulting a colleague at Adisadel College (ADISCO) last week.

Viral video

The incident attracted anger, fury, and outcry from the public, who called for immediate action to be taken.

The incident, which happened at a dormitory at the Quaque House, left one of the students, Kelvin Ofori, who was attacked by a taller student, with a swollen cheek.

The student has since been arrested and granted bail.

The victim has been recalled to the school after initially being suspended.

He is currently undergoing medical treatment, and the school has assigned a psychologist to provide him with the necessary support and counselling to help him through the trauma he experienced

Grading system

Touching on the incident, Prof Hammond expressed concern that Ghana’s educational curricula and assessments appear to be disproportionately focused on cognitive development, with little attention paid to the behavioural and character development of students. 

“Consequently, the crucial aspects of morality and character development that are a vital ingredient in comprehensive education are frequently ignored”, he stated. 

He added that students are not graded for exhibiting praiseworthy character traits, despite their importance in shaping an individual's overall development.

He said, “By incorporating the principles of character education across all levels of basic, secondary, and tertiary education, students will be incentivized to practice good behaviour”. 

To achieve the above, he said grades should be awarded for exemplary conduct, which will then contribute to their overall WASSCE performance or university classification.

Deduction of grades

In addition, the chairman of Dominion University College said to ensure that students are held accountable for their misconduct, the grades should also be deducted for anti-social conduct to serve as a deterrent to the students who engaged in this conduct.

“This approach would be advantageous for both individuals and society at large, as it inculcates the necessary qualities for a well-rounded education, which eventually leads to a well-rounded workforce.”

Prof Hammond maintained that character education alone will not suffice, adding that a system of education that does not enforce disciplinary measures for inappropriate behaviour is inherently flawed.

According to him, such a system may foster a culture of delinquency and intimidation, which could potentially spill over into professional arenas, such as the workforce or political arena. 

As corporal punishment is now outlawed, he said it was imperative to implement more productive and transformative disciplinary measures.’

These measures, he stressed would be critical in creating a conducive learning environment and upholding the integrity of educational institutions.