The National Council for Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) of Ghana has backed the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education in their efforts to promote discipline in senior high schools through the enforcement of approved hairstyle policies.
According to the Council, enforcing such school rules should not be seen as an act of control or punishment, but rather as a vital step toward instilling discipline, responsibility, and personal development in students.
This come after Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu appealed to parents to support the GES in enforcing the hairstyle directive, explaining that it seeks to promote uniformity and equity among students.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Accra on Monday, October 27, the Minister noted that while students would enjoy greater freedom of expression at the tertiary level, the secondary school environment must focus on building discipline, order, and respect for rules.
The General Secretary of the National PTA Council, Raphael Kofi Gapson, speaking in an interview on the Channel One Newsroom, said the “The rationale for the enforcement is that it will promote discipline and personal growth.”
He also noted that Council fully supports the government’s renewed emphasis on discipline, provided policies are applied fairly and consistently across all schools.
“We are saying that we should look at the policy holistically and not be doing picking and choosing,” Mr. Gapson stated. “Discipline and character formation—Chapter 2 of the National Council of PTA constitution—speaks about the purposes of the National PTA and in common with those of the regional branches and school-based units.”
He explained that the culture of discipline is what has sustained the reputation of Ghana’s top-performing secondary schools, often referred to as Category A and B schools. These institutions, he said, have maintained high standards and strong traditions over decades, earning the trust and admiration of parents nationwide.
“All the schools that we call Category A and B schools, it is because over the last 30, 40, 50 years, they’ve maintained certain standards. That is their culture, their school climate, and that is why every parent wants to send their child there,” he noted.
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