Fijai SHS holds Founders’, Speech and Prize-giving Day
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa in the Western Region, Prof. Jerry Samuel Y. Kuma, has underscored the need for teachers, parents and students to play their respective roles in maintaining discipline in the school environment, since it is a tripartite phenomenon which involves them.
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He said it was unfortunate that some teachers did not care about the indisciplined behaviour of some students, thinking that their duty was only to go to class and teach and when students misbehaved, it was the senior housemaster's or the headmaster's responsibility to handle it.
“Such teachers create a triangular routine for themselves from home to the staff common room, staff room to classroom and classroom to the home. Such teachers need to be educated to become aware that filling the student's head with the content alone does not ensure academic success,” he maintained.
Anniversary
Prof. Kuma made the observation when he addressed the 65th Anniversary and Founders' Day, as well as Speech and Prize-giving Day celebration of the Fijai Senior High School (SHS) in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in the Western Region last Saturday.
The school currently has a student population of 2,354, comprising 977 boys and 1,377 girls, with 492 of the girls being day students.
Speaking on the theme, “Sustaining Discipline and Tolerance in the Youth: A Tool to Achieving Academic Excellence," the UMaT vice chancellor noted that in Ghana, it appeared that some civil society organisations (CSOs) were teaming up with parents to undermine the authority of the teacher, all in the name of human rights.
“When school authorities establish the rule that students should cut their hair down and when they refuse and are punished, some parents take the school authorities on, insisting that they do not see any link between bushy hair and academic excellence,” he lamented.
Academic achievements
The Vice Chancellor declared, “It is important to note that parents, teachers and students hold the key to academic achievements. A parent who would want to see his or her son or daughter perform well in school must discipline that son or daughter at home before they get to school for the discipline to continue and for them to be directed while they are in school.”
Presenting his report, the Headmaster of the school, Mr Joe Ocloo Nyamadi, indicated that the school presented 542 candidates for the 2016 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and obtained 100 per cent pass, with the best result being 7As and 1B2 by a female science student.
He said the school authorities did not relent in their effort to instil discipline in the students, saying, “We in Fijai SHS believe that discipline is an essential tool for achieving excellence in all fields of endeavour. The discipline we inculcated in our students makes them well behaved wherever they find themselves.”
The Western Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, in a speech read on his behalf noted that 65 years of providing quality secondary education to the youth, could only be achieved with a disciplined and dedicated staff and students.
Prizes were presented to deserving students and staff (both teaching and non-teaching), as well as some individuals who had contributed immensely to the development of the school.