Former Presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and renowned pathologist, Professor Agyemang Badu Akosa, has attributed Ghana’s developmental challenges to indiscipline, cautioning that no nation can achieve meaningful progress without the right attitude.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of this year’s Pearson-Osae Appreciation Lectures at Prempeh College, Prof. Akosa said the current state of the country reflects a broader national failure to uphold discipline.

He called for the strict enforcement of discipline in second-cycle institutions, arguing that growing indiscipline in senior high schools is partly due to parents resisting efforts by teachers to discipline their children.

Prof. Akosa noted that discipline levels were higher during his time as a student compared to the present era. He also lamented what he described as a decline in reading habits among students, particularly at the basic school level.

“If there is no discipline, there is no progress. I think it is one of the failings of the present generation. We must make discipline the cornerstone of our education,” he emphasised.

He further proposed the adoption of a standard code of discipline to be signed by every student entering Prempeh College and other senior high schools, countersigned by parents, and endorsed by senior housemasters and headmasters.

“So if you misbehave or do anything untoward, we will cite the code of discipline and take the necessary action,” he stated.

Prof. Akosa stressed that no country has developed without discipline, and Ghana will be no exception. He added that if children are the future of the nation, they must be properly moulded in school.

“I came to Prempeh College, and I believe I am who I am because of the discipline I received here. As far as I am concerned, it is so vital that we cannot do away with it,” he added.

This year’s lecture was held on the theme, “Prempeh College: Making Us Different.”