The disturbing assault captured in the viral video involving students of Swedru School of Business and an Obrachire SHS student is not just a disciplinary issue. It is a warning. Yes, the arrests deal with what happened. But they do not answer the deeper question:
How did we get here, and how do we prevent it from happening again?
When violence becomes a way students settle disagreements, the issue is no longer just about a few individuals. It means we have not done enough to teach civility, responsibility, and lawful behavior.
Schools must not only prepare students to pass exams. They must prepare students to live with others respectfully in society.
So yes, the IGP has played his role. But the Inspector General of Civility and Education (iGCE) must also play a role.
- Civility Is a Skill That Must Be Taught and Practiced
We are taught mathematics by solving problems. We are taught English by writing essays. Civility must also be taught by practice, not just by warnings at assembly.
Students need to learn: how to disagree without fighting or insulting; how to manage anger; how to stand up to peer pressure; how to treat others with dignity; and how the law protects people from harm.
These are life skills, not “extra lessons.”
- Knowing the Law Helps You Make Better Choices
Many students do not realize that assault is a crime, even if it happens in school. They do not appreciate that encouraging or cheering violence can also bring consequences. Students must know that actions recorded today can become evidence tomorrow.
Understanding the law is not about fear. It is about understanding responsibility. Education should explain not just rules but why those rules exist.
- Discipline Alone Does Not Build Character
Punishment may stop behavior temporarily. But punishment without education does not teach judgment. Real learning asks: why is violence wrong, even when no teacher is present? what harm does humiliation cause? how can one bad decision affect your future?
Schools must help students think through consequences before mistakes happen.
- The Role of Phones: Recording vs. Responsible Witnessing
Some may say, “Students should not record such incidents.” But without the recording, the truth might never have come out. So the lesson is not “Never record.”
The lesson is if you record wrongdoing, you have a duty to report it, not share it for entertainment.
There is a big difference between recording to provide evidence (responsible) vs. recording to gain attention (harmful); reporting to authorities (responsible) vs. posting on social media (harmful); protecting the victim (responsible) vs. humiliating the victim again (harmful).
Technology should help justice, not spread cruelty.
- Where Were the Good Samaritans?
One of the hardest questions is why did no one step in to help. Often, students want to help but fear becoming targets; don’t know what to do; or think it is “not their business.”
Civility education must teach safe ways to intervene, such as: speaking up (if safe); calling for help; creating a distraction to break the momentum without confrontation; documenting responsibly; supporting he victim afterwards; and reporting the perpetrators.
Being a Good Samaritan is not about heroics. It is about refusing to become a silent audience to harm.
- How Schools Can Actually Teach Civility
Civility grows when schools deliberately build it into everyday learning. This can include scenario discussions, role plating exercises, student-led honor codes, restorative conversations, digital citizenship lessons.
- Schools Reflect Society But They Can Also Shape It
Students learn not only from textbooks, but from what they see: how adults argue; how leaders speak; how disagreements are handled publicly.
If society models respect, students absorb respect. If society models aggression, students imitate aggression.
Schools therefore have a powerful opportunity to model the kind of country we want to become. But adults too can help with good examples.
- This Is a Teachable Moment
The Swedru incident should not be remembered only as a scandal. It should be remembered as a turning point. Exams measure knowledge. Civility measures maturity. A nation needs both.
- Civility Education Is a Shared Responsibility
Teaching civility is not the work of schools alone. Parents must model respectful disagreement at home. Communities must reject the glorification of insults, humiliation and violence.
Media and social platforms must avoid rewarding cruelty with attention. Students themselves must choose courage over conformity.
Character formation is strongest when the same message is heard at home, in school, and in society.
- From Reaction to Formation
If we teach civility deliberately, through practice, discussion, and example, we will not need to rely only on punishment to maintain order.
We will be raising not just successful students, but responsible citizens. Character is not formed in crisis. It is revealed by it and built long before it.
PS: Yɛde post no bɛto hɔ. Yɛnyɛ comprehension consultants.
Da Yie!
By: Professor Kwaku Asare, an accounting professor and private legal practitioner
