Professor Hammond Advocates Deduction Of Grades For Anti-Social Conducts As Punishment For Undisciplined Students
Professor Hammond who is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of UK stressed that to ensure that students are held accountable for their misconducts, the grades should also be deducted for anti-social conducts to serve as deterrent to other students who engaged in these conducts.
Freeman Koryekpor 
The Chairman of the Governing Council of Dominion University College, Professor Felix Nikoi Hammond, has outlined key plans on how to effectively address phenomenon of anti-social conducts being penetrated by undisciplined students in the country's public and private educational institutions.
Professor Hammond who is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of UK stressed that to ensure that students are held accountable for their misconducts, the grades should also be deducted for anti-social conducts to serve as deterrent to other students who engaged in these conducts.
“This approach would be advantageous for both individuals and society at large, as it inculcates the necessary qualities for a well-rounded education, which eventually leads to a well-rounded workforce,” he noted.
Prof Hammond maintained that character education alone will not suffice, adding that a system of education that does not enforce disciplinary measures for inappropriate behavior is inherently flawed.
According to him, such a system may foster a culture of delinquency and intimidation, which could potentially spill over into professional arenas, such as the workforce or political arena.
As corporal punishment is now outlawed, he said it is imperative to implement more productive and transformative disciplinary measures.’
These measures, he stressed would be critical in creating a conducive learning environment and upholding the integrity of educational institutions.
Speaking to the media on Monday July 31, 2023 in Accra, Prof Hammond explained that character education, which aimed at cultivating positive values such as empathy, respect, self-discipline, punctuality, kindness, congeniality and responsibility among students.
He indicated that introducing character education in schools will significantly reduce incidents of bullying and promote a healthy school environment.
On the other hand, he said discipline will involve the enforcement of consequences for bullying behavior to deter its recurrence and restore justice to the affected parties.
His call comes after a student was seen in a video assaulting a colleague at Adisadel College (ADISCO) last week.
The incident attracted anger, fury and outcry from the public, who called for immediate action to be taken.
The incident, which happened at a dormitory at the Quaque House, left one of the students, Kelvin Ofori, who was attacked by a taller student, with a swollen cheek.
The student has since been arrested and granted bail.
The victim has been recalled to the school after initially being suspended.
He is currently undergoing medical treatment, and the school has assigned a psychologist to provide him with the necessary support and counselling to help him through the trauma he experienced.
Touching on the incident, Prof Hammond expressed concerned that Ghana’s educational curricula and assessments appear to be disproportionately focused on cognitive development, with little attention paid towards behavioral and character development of students.
“Consequently, the crucial aspects of morality and character development that are a vital ingredient in comprehensive education are frequently ignored”, he stated.
He added that students are not graded for exhibiting praiseworthy character traits, despite their importance in shaping an individual's overall development.
He said “By incorporating the principles of character education across all levels of basic, secondary, and tertiary education, students will be incentivized to practice good behavior”.
To achieve the above, he said grades should be awarded for exemplary conduct, which will then contribute to their overall WASSCE performance or university classification.
According to Professor Hammond, a societal norm that embodies the principles of treating each human being with dignity, respect, and honour, regardless of their distinctive traits, position or institutional alliances, is of paramount importance for the development of any nation.
He reiterated that it is hence vital for all institutions within the nation whether public or private to focus on developing a system that efficiently addresses unwarranted behavior.
He maintained that this framework must be customized to cater to the specific requirements of the institutional environment, while also complying with the fundamental values of society.
To achieve this goal, he stressed that it is essential, as a nation, to engage in a continuous process of introspection and adaptation, leveraging the insights gained through experience to refine and improve the existing framework.
He pointed out that the conduct which has now developed into a severe form of misconduct and even a potential criminal offense, has a historical origin where new students were subjected to seemingly harmless and fun initiation processes into their new educational institutions by their seniors.
In addition, he said the juniors were often subjected to menial tasks like running errands for seniors and taking care of their laundries, which occasionally resulted in seniors administering punishments.
According to Professor Hammond, although this is sometimes a cordial arrangement, it can also escalate into an unpleasant experience for the juniors.
He asserted that many of those who currently speak out against bullying were once among the cohort that both perpetrated and suffered from it.
He contented that the phenomenon is not limited to the secondary school system, stressing that the public universities in Ghana had a custom of “ponding,” where new students are submerged into water-filled ponds as part of an initiation ritual generally as a fun activity though have on occasions pose serious risks to their physical and psychological well-being.
He was of the view that the phenomenon of bullying is not restricted to the education system as well; it pervades society at large, seeping into the realms of work, churches, public service, chiefdoms, and families.
"Its prevalence highlights the need for creating a comprehensive approach towards tackling this issue that transcends the boundaries of any particular institution or sector.
"The development of a robust and inclusive framework that cultivates a culture of respect, empathy, and ethical conduct can go a long way in promoting a safe and productive environment for all individuals.
"Bullying can take many forms, such as physical, verbal, or psychological aggression, and is often carried out with the intention of causing harm or intimidation to an individual or a group of individuals to get them to concede to certain demands," he noted.
Professor Hammond indicated that the negative impacts of bullying can be wide-ranging and can severely affect the overall well-being of students, causing emotional and psychological trauma, as well as physical harm.
In turn, he said this may provoke a retaliatory reaction from the victim, which could potentially trigger a wave of violence that impacts bystanders who were not initially involved in the incident with negative consequences on the overall learning experience.
He further stressed that it is therefore crucial for those involved in this field, including policymakers, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, and school administrators at every level of the educational hierarchy, to bear a significant obligation in ensuring the establishment of a safe, compassionate, and efficient learning environment.
According to him, this responsibility is essential for students to excel cognitive, social, and emotional development, as they advance in their academic pursuits.
