The Executive Director of the Institute of Education Studies (IFEST), Dr. Peter Anti, has called for a more targeted approach to addressing riots in senior high schools nationwide.
His comments follow the indefinite closure of the Bolgatanga Technical Institute (BOTECH), where student riots resulted in the destruction of the school’s library and the senior housemaster’s office.
Following the incident, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on August 7, ordered a comprehensive review of security arrangements in schools nationwide. The directive comes amid a spate of violent incidents that have left students dead and communities shaken.
The minister also expressed concern about the widespread reliance on untrained personnel, often referred to as “watchmen,” to provide security in schools.
“Even our concept of a ‘watchman’ in educational institutions needs to be revisited. Do we just pick anyone and label them school security—with no training in policing or even basic security practices? We need to review this so we can foster a safer school environment for both students and teachers,” he said.
But Dr. Anti, speaking in an interview with Citi News on Sunday, August 17, argued that responses should be based on careful profiling rather than blanket solutions.
“When issues like this happen, we should avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. I heard the minister say there is a need to increase security on our campuses, which is good, but we need to go further and profile these disturbances so solutions match the specific challenges in each school.
“Some schools need external security, others require better-trained internal security, and some may benefit from periodic searches. More importantly, many schools need personnel development in areas like conflict resolution, counselling, and student disciplinary handling,” he explained.
In recent weeks, several violent incidents have rocked second-cycle institutions.
On July 31, a 15-year-old first-year student of Kinbu Senior High School, Addib Alhassan, was fatally stabbed during an altercation reportedly sparked by a classroom argument. He was rushed to the Adabraka Polyclinic and later transferred to the Ridge Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
This tragedy followed two separate shooting incidents at Nalerigu Senior High School and Bawku Senior High School, both involving students.
The Ministry of Education has pledged to work with stakeholders to strengthen security in schools through the deployment of professionally trained personnel.
