On Friday 26 January, the TIS Amnesty Club launched the Anti-Corporal Punishment Campaign at the school’s premises. The launch brought together many stakeholders in the educational sector who added their voice on the need to promote positive behaviour in schools.
The guest speaker, Mr. Anis Haffar, a renowned educationist and trainer of teachers, emphasised the role of students to be self-responsible towards their own well-being in school. Though there was no consensus regarding how soon corporal punishment will be eradicated in Ghanaian schools (despite its abolishment), all the panelists were very clear in their presentations on the need for a unifying front to end corporal punishment in Ghana. The panelists, – Ghanaian schools. The panelists were, Dr. Wiafe-Akenten Brenya – a Snr. Lecturer with the Department of Psychology, University of Ghana; Mrs. Rosina Adobor, the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Director of Ghana Education Service and Ms. Chloe Asiedu, a final year student of Tema International School and the initiator of the TIS Amnesty Club. Also part of the panelists were Mrs. Hannah Osei, the Human Rights Education and Activism Coordinator of Amnesty Ghana and Ms. Akua Boatemaa Duah, the Child’s Advocate for Challenging Heights NGO. Present at the launch were 7 invited schools with both staff and student representatives. The schools included, Chemu Snr. High School, Ashaiman Snr. High School, Don Bosco Technical Institute, Tema Ridge School, Kingscourt International School, The Lordstar International School and Calvary Presby Basic School. Participants in their own ways pledged towards the course of the campaign, by writing the actions they will be taking to promote responsible behaviour in schools, and end all forms of violence in schools.
After a successful launch, the TIS Amnesty Club will proceed with the campaign with a series of joint workshops with the invited schools on promoting responsible behaviour among students. In addition, the campaign will be sharing the various pledges of the participants on social media to carry on with the discourse on the focus of the campaign. So lookout for the campaign handle – #TISAmnestyClub
