Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu Mandates Outright Dismissal for Students Selling Marijuana on Campus

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced a stringent new policy directing the Ghana Education Service (GES) to dismiss any student caught selling marijuana on senior high school campuses. Addressing Parliament on the alarming rise of drug peddling within pre-tertiary institutions, the Minister underscored the necessity of "outright dismissal" to prevent delinquent individuals from corrupting their innocent peers. This directive marks a significant escalation in the government's response to what has been described as a growing crisis of indiscipline and substance abuse in schools across the country. During the parliamentary briefing, the Minister detailed specific challenges facing school administrators, including a worrying trend of students actively resisting the installation of CCTV cameras meant to bolster security. This resistance, coupled with the increasing prevalence of drug distribution, has raised serious concerns about the safety and moral health of educational environments. Mr. Iddrisu emphasized that the current disciplinary measures appear insufficient to deter such behaviors, noting that the influence of drugs on campus not only disrupts learning but also poses a long-term threat to national development. To tackle these systemic issues, the Minister has called for a comprehensive review of the Ghana Education Service’s punishment regime, advocating for the adoption of tougher sanctions that reflect the gravity of modern campus offenses. Beyond immediate punitive actions, the government plans to convene a national conference aimed at addressing school indiscipline and drug use. This forum will serve as a platform for stakeholders to collaborate on a unified strategy, ensuring that measures to strengthen discipline are effectively implemented to restore order and safety within the nation’s schools.