“Walk away” — IFEST urges teachers to de-escalate conflicts amid rising student assertiveness
Teachers must prioritise restraint and de-escalation when confronted by provocative students, education policy expert Peter Anti Partey has advised following a widely circulated school altercation. Partey said the evolving behaviour of students — who are more assertive and less responsive to traditional authority — req...
Teachers must prioritise restraint and de-escalation when confronted by provocative students, education policy expertPeter Anti Partey has advised following a widely circulated school altercation.
Partey said the evolving behaviour of students — who are more assertive and less responsive to traditional authority — requires new disciplinary approaches.
“The kind of discipline we used in the past cannot work with today’s students,” he said on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (10 June).
He rejected calls for a return to corporal punishment, describing it as ineffective and often counterproductive.
Instead, he urged teachers to adopt emotional intelligence and, where necessary, disengage from volatile situations.
“The best you can do is walk away. It doesn’t mean you are weak — it means you are protecting your dignity and profession,” he said.
Partey also called on the Ghana Education Service to intensify training in alternative disciplinary methods and stress management.
He warned that without updated strategies, classroom conflicts could escalate further, undermining safety in schools.