PCG trains teachers on disciplining children in schools

The Akyem-Abuakwa Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) has initiated series of training on better alternative ways of disciplining children in schools, following the ban on corporal punishments.

For the start, 12 circuit supervisors, 60 Guidance and Counseling officers, 60 Headteachers, 12 Coordinators from the GES office and 30 Ministers of the PCG, in their capacities as local managers of Presbyterian schools are undergoing the training.

The participants were strategically selected to be trained to become facilitators in their respective circuits subsequent trainings, to cover all teachers in the entire 10 political districts of the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery.

The Presbytery Chairman, Reverend Dr Seth Kissi, giving the rationale for the training said the announcement on the ban on corporal punishments in schools, created the fears that it would lead to breakdown in discipline in our schools and society alike.

He noted that many including; people in high offices expressed negative sentiments and “of even more grave concern was teachers who appeared to be angry with the ban and adopted a sit-back-and-watch attitudes towards children who misbehaved in school”.

According to Rev. Dr Kissi, while the ban on canning was aimed at promoting a safe and protective learning environment for children, teachers sought to justify their apathy with the excuse that they were unaware of any better options for correcting children in school, other than the caning.

He said the attitude from the teachers especially towards the ban escalated anxiety of many including; the PCG “and the PCG being well noted for its discipline could not sit aloof, hence the presbytery taking the initiative to train and expose teachers to the alternative punishments to give clear direction in schools”

The Presbytery Chair noted that, even though the better options available in the positive discipline tool kit were more demanding and time consuming, it was worth it, in ensuring that children were raised with positive views of themselves other than harboring hatred and fear in them with caning.

The Deputy Minister for Education and Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Mrs Gifty Twum Ampofo, said research had shown consistently that indeed it was counterproductive in delivering a disciplined child with caning, but rather it instilled fear and timidity.

She said in time past, one of the accepted modes of correction and discipline had been physical through the rod adding “am sure all of us can recall stories of particular teachers back in school, who wielded the cane and delivered punishment with ferocity to keep pupils on straight and narrow path”

The Deputy Minister commended the Presbytery Chairman for initiating such an important programme and added that she was not surprised considering the consistent discipline of the PCG especially in its schools in the country.

The East-Akyem Municipal Director of Education, Ms Grace Owusua Addo, said the training was timely to arrest the situation where teachers out of anger were sitting on the fence and watching children to misbehave in schools just because canning was banned.

She said the directive by the GES was not new and expressed the hope that by the end of the training teachers and all stakeholders would appreciate the alternative punishments more than the canning to improve teaching and learning.