Lawra: The Lawra Senior High School (LAWSEC) has held its sixth Speech and Prize Giving Day with a call on educational stakeholders to treat discipline as a shared responsibility for raising standards in schools.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event, held on the theme, 'Raising Standards in Schools Through Discipline: A Collective Responsibility,' brought together Directors of Education, headmasters, old students, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders. Professor Emmanuel Derbile, Vice-Chancellor of the University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), described the theme as timely, citing increasing incidents of indiscipline in some Senior High Schools across the country.
He said discipline remained the foundation of educational excellence, as it ensured order, promoted respect, and created an enabling environment for effective teaching and learning. 'Unfortunately, discipline among students in Ghana is at the brink of collapse,' he said, pointing to reported cases of examination malpractice, violent conduct, and drug and alcohol abuse, which undermined academic progress, particularly at the tertiary level.
Madam Cecilia Nuratu Soyelleh, the Lawra Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), expressed concern over the low performance of students in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), describing the results as a wake-up call for stakeholders to intensify efforts to improve standards. She urged school authorities to firmly enforce Ghana Education Service (GES) policies on discipline and called on parents to instil values of respect, honesty, and hard work in their children.
The MCE also assured the school of the Assembly's commitment to completing the assembly hall complex project and providing streetlight bulbs to improve campus lighting. Mr Francis Cudjoe, the Lawra Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service, said he was working with relevant stakeholders to improve examination performance and ensure equitable access to education.
He said targeted intervention programmes had been introduced at the primary school level to strengthen reading and writing skills and provide a solid foundation for basic education. Lawra Senior High School, which has served as a beacon of education in the region and beyond for over half a century, offers programmes in General Arts, General Science, Business, and Home Economics.
At the ceremony, four former headmasters received citations, while deserving students were awarded certificates and books, with Miss Stephanie Nibenga emerging as the overall best student.