Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has expressed concern over rising indiscipline in senior high schools across Ghana.
He described the situation as one of the biggest challenges facing the education sector and pledged action to address it.
Speaking at Adonten Senior High School in the Eastern Region on Wednesday, June 10, the minister said the government would make the issue a major priority in 2026.
Mr Iddrisu announced plans to organise a national conference before the end of July to discuss practical solutions to the growing problem.
The event is expected to take place in either Kumasi or Sunyani.
According to the minister, the conference will bring together educators, academics, religious leaders, traditional authorities, parents and education officials.
“We expect to hold a national conference in Kumasi on or before the end of July, where educators, academia, the church, the Muslim community, chiefs, parents, regional and district directors of education, and headmistresses will converge to deal with the growing indiscipline in our schools,” he said.
Mr. Iddrisu stressed that schools alone cannot solve the problem.
He said discipline begins at home and requires active involvement from parents.
“We have always maintained that parenting is a shared responsibility of the father and mother and then the teacher,” he stated.
The minister also pointed to the growing influence of social media as a factor contributing to misconduct among students.
He warned that many young people are being exposed to misinformation and harmful content online.
“We are losing many of them to social media, which has become a toxic source of misinformation, and many young people are relying on it,” he said.
He expressed confidence that education experts would provide valuable recommendations at the conference.
The minister also welcomed improvements in food supply to senior high schools.
According to him, schools are no longer facing the shortages that affected students in previous years.
“I’m happy to note that for the first time in many years, you are not suffering from food shortages in school,” he said.
Mr. Iddrisu attributed the improvement to changes in the funding structure of the Free SHS feeding programme.
He explained that the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), working with the Ghana Commodity Exchange and the National Buffer Stock Company, now plays a key role in food distribution.
“The GETFund, through the Ghana Commodity Exchange and the Buffer Stock, is adequately making sufficient provisions for food,” he said.
He added that the government has allocated GH¢4 billion this year for student feeding nationwide.
The minister also announced plans to improve educational infrastructure across the country.
He revealed that the World Bank is expected to approve a US$300 million facility on June 16 to support expansion projects in senior high schools.
According to him, the funding will help upgrade 30 Category C schools to Category B status and 20 Category B schools to Category A.
“Only next week, the World Bank will meet on the 16th of this month to give approval to what we have promised of expanded infrastructure,” he said.
“We intend to convert 30 Category C schools to B and 20 Category B schools to A with 300 million U.S. dollars for expanded infrastructure across the country.”
The government believes the investment will improve access to quality education and strengthen infrastructure within the senior high school system.
