The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) (NAGRAT) has called for drastic measures to protect teachers from violent students, warning that the situation in schools could escalate into a “bloodbath” if immediate action is not taken.
In a statement issued after its National Council meeting on May 15, 2025, NAGRAT expressed deep concern over the rising cases of assault on teachers by students, citing examples such as the attack on Mr. Walter Yesotor Adanunyo, a teacher at Christian Methodist High School, for preventing students from cheating during the WASSCE examinations.
The association attributed the increasing violence to several factors, including the wholesale admission of students who have failed the BECE into SHS and the interference in school management decisions by politicians and other stakeholders.
NAGRAT has given the Ghana Education Service (GES) until May 31, 2025, to make a public announcement empowering school authorities to take drastic measures against violent students, including dismissal and repetition of students who have performed below the academic threshold.
“We call for the immediate implementation of the following measures;
1. Public announcement by the Director-General of GES empowering school authorities to immediately dismiss any student who attacks or causes physical injury of any kind to a teacher or any member of Staff.
2. Any student found in the possession of any weapon of any kind or shape should be immediately dismissed.
3. School authorities must be given the power to repeat students who have performed below the academic threshold without recourse to higher authority,” the statement read.
If the GES fails to act, NAGRAT has threatened to embark on a series of actions to protect teachers.
