“Stop Romanticising School Violence” – NAGRAT Blasts Government Inaction

The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has issued a stern warning to the government, urging immediate and decisive action to combat rising violence and indiscipline in Ghanaian schools.

Speaking in an interview on Citi FM on Thursday, May 22, Mr Carbonu criticised the government’s continued leniency in dealing with student misconduct, describing current policies as ineffective and dangerous to the integrity of the education system.

“We will have to stop romanticising the issue,” he declared. “We will have to take very drastic and draconian measures because we are not in normal times.”

According to Carbonu, Ghanaian schools are becoming increasingly ungovernable due to weak disciplinary structures and what he calls a misguided embrace of foreign, ill-suited disciplinary models.

“Nobody should come and jaundice this situation with alien disciplinary prescriptions that are not working,” he said.

He accused education authorities of tolerating ineffective international models of discipline that fail to resonate with Ghana’s unique educational and cultural environment.

This, he said, has led to the deterioration of respect and authority within schools, undermining both teaching and learning.

“We have tolerated alien disciplinary prescriptions in this country to the extent that our schools and institutions are no longer governable,” he lamented.

Carbonu’s remarks come amid growing reports of student violence, attacks on teachers, and general breakdowns in discipline across several second-cycle institutions.

Educators and unions have expressed frustration over what they see as governmental reluctance to empower teachers with adequate disciplinary tools.

NAGRAT is calling for a comprehensive national dialogue and a firm policy shift that restores authority in classrooms and promotes safe, structured learning environments.

As the education sector grapples with these challenges, the government faces mounting pressure to review disciplinary frameworks and take bold steps to restore order in Ghanaian schools.