Discipline must begin at home, not just in schools – Dr. Apaak charges parents to help fight indiscipline

The Ministry of Education has urged mothers and parents to take a more active role in tackling growing indiscipline among learners, stressing that efforts to instil discipline must begin at home.

Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak said schools alone can not address the challenge and called on parents to support teachers and school authorities in raising responsible and disciplined children.

Speaking as guest speaker at the 2026 MomCo Conference in Accra on Saturday, August 22, Dr. Apaak said the growing level of indiscipline among learners had become a matter of national concern.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the growing indiscipline we are witnessing among learners is a source of real national concern,” he said.

He noted that the Ministry had recently convened a National Conference on Stemming the Growing Indiscipline in Schools in Sunyani, bringing together teachers, parents, traditional and religious leaders, security agencies and other stakeholders to find ways of addressing the problem.

According to Dr. Apaak, the conference established that schools can not shoulder the responsibility of disciplining learners on their own.

“That conference reached one unmistakable conclusion: discipline can not be enforced by schools alone. It begins at home, and it begins with the parents and the mother for that matter,” he said.

He therefore called on mothers and MomCo groups across the country to actively support efforts to restore discipline among learners.

“I therefore call on every mother in this room, and every MomCo group across the country, to see yourselves as full partners in this fight against indiscipline,” Dr. Apaak said.

He urged parents to teach their children respect for authority, honesty, and responsibility while helping them understand the consequences of their actions.

“Talk to your children about respect for authority, honesty, and the consequences of their actions. Model the very conduct you wish to see in them,” he added.

The Deputy Minister also appealed to parents to complement disciplinary measures taken by schools rather than undermine them.

“Where our schools are working to enforce firmer discipline, let your homes reinforce it, not undercut it,” he said.

Dr. Apaak said stronger cooperation between homes and schools could help Ghana raise a generation of learners who combine academic knowledge with good character and responsible conduct.