The Headmaster of Awe Senior High Technical School, Augustine Atanga, has appealed to stakeholders in education to join hands in addressing the rising indiscipline and infrastructural challenges confronting the school.
Speaking during the climax of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Week celebration at a staff and students durbar, Atanga painted a sobering picture of the moral and logistical crises affecting teaching and learning in school.
This year’s celebration, held under the theme: “Recalibrating Our School to Take Its Rightful Position in Academic Excellence – The Role of Alumni, PTA, Government and Other Stakeholders in Education,” marked the second anniversary of the SRC and served as a dress rehearsal ahead of the school’s Speech and Prize Giving Day in October.
In his address, Atanga lamented the rising wave of misconduct among students, describing it as a departure from Ghana’s long-held societal values.
“Students have resorted to all kinds of practices and activities that are alien to our value systems,” he said, expressing concern over learners coming to school with offensive weapons, mobile phones used for cheating during examinations, and even illegal drugs to embolden them in carrying out criminal acts on campus.
“We are like people in a cinema theatre, tightly glued to our seats, watching the unfolding events to see who the ‘champion’ in this feature film becomes,” he remarked.
“This durbar is our attempt to unlock that riddle and reclaim our place in academic excellence.” he added.
The Headmaster questioned how students could expect to succeed academically when many do not attend classes regularly or take their studies seriously. He also decried the tendency to blame school authorities for poor academic outcomes without addressing deeper structural issues.
“How will a school achieve academic success without even a single means of transport?” he asked. “How will students excel without desks, classrooms, a library, science and ICT labs, a proper dining hall, and a kitchen where they can take their meals comfortably? How can they excel when they are not even able to rest soundly?”
Despite these challenges, Atanga expressed pride in some notable improvements since his assumption of duty.
“When I took over, the school was grappling with a water crisis, poor sanitation, abandoned projects, and widespread indiscipline among staff and students. Today, I am glad to report that many of these issues have been remarkably addressed through practical steps.” he stated.
He commended the traditional leadership and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for their continuous support and called on alumni, the government, and other stakeholders to lend their support in transforming the school.
“Let us all come together to solve the riddle of academic excellence,” he urged. “We are doing our best under difficult circumstances, but we cannot do it alone.”
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