Expert Peter Anti calls for stronger security at Ghana’s senior high schools
Education policy expert Peter Anti has called on Ghana’s Ministry of Education to upgrade the security system in senior high schools following a clash between Okuapeman Senior High School and Mount Sinai Senior High School. He believes that, to prevent violence, educational institutions need specially trained security personnel capable of monitoring risks and responding to threats in advance.
As MyJoyOnline reports, the clash occurred at around 02:00 on Wednesday, September 2. It led to retaliatory attacks and significant property damage. Six Okuapeman SHS students were hospitalized after sustaining injuries.
Damage at both schools
At Okuapeman SHS, the visual arts studio, teachers’ common room and seven classrooms reportedly burned down. Examination papers and certificates were also destroyed. At Mount Sinai SHS, a storage facility and boys’ washroom were reportedly set on fire.
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Anti, the executive director of the Institute for Education Studies, said on Citi FM on September 2 that the scale of recent violence indicates the need for a more professional approach to school security.
Call for professional security
According to the expert, the traditional reliance on security guards, teachers and school administrators is no longer sufficient, as conflicts between students are increasingly escalating into violence and property destruction. Previously, teachers, including boarding house supervisors and senior supervisors, were largely responsible for monitoring students and gathering information about their behavior.
Anti stressed that teachers should not combine teaching and administrative duties with work that could expose them to attacks. In his view, security specialists could identify warning signs, gather information about possible threats and notify the relevant authorities before conflicts escalate.
