Peace education clubs planned for Ghanaian senior high schools

Ghana’s National Peace Council wants peace education clubs in senior high schools to stop disagreements from turning into violence. The initiative responds to concerns about bullying, student clashes and weapons on school grounds.

The council’s latest sensitisation campaign reached about 12,650 students at eight schools across the Greater Accra Region between July 22 and August 21, 2026. The schools included Ghanata Senior High School, Kavenya Community Senior High School, Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School, Wesley Grammar Senior High School, Accra Girls’ Senior High School, Tema Menhia Senior High School and Lashibi Community Senior High School.

Janet Dedei Sarney-Kuma, the council’s director of capacity development and outreach, said the programme had identified concerns about religious intolerance, bullying, weapons and human rights. Muslim and Christian students raised concerns about religious intolerance, while Muslim students reported stronger worries about the rejection of their religious practices in some schools.

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Students need the skills to manage disagreements before they become violence. We are therefore focusing on building those skills early and consistently.

Some students also acknowledged carrying minor weapons, particularly during inter-school sporting events, because they feared intimidation by students from rival schools. Bullying by senior students against juniors emerged as another recurring concern. “Students need the skills to manage disagreements before they become violence. We are therefore focusing on building those skills early and consistently,” Sarney-Kuma said.

The planned clubs will teach practical conflict-management and peaceful-coexistence skills, with periodic follow-ups and structured guidance. Sarney-Kuma said continuing engagement was necessary because students graduate and new students arrive. The council also plans to focus on digital citizenship, including checking information before sharing it, thinking carefully before posting and recognising when online behaviour becomes harassment on platforms such as WhatsApp, TikTok and Facebook.

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Peace education cannot be a one-off activity. We need to keep working with schools because the students change and the issues also require continuous attention.