Renowned pathologist and former presidential aspirant of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, has attributed Ghana’s developmental challenges largely to indiscipline, warning that no nation can make meaningful progress without a strong culture of order and responsibility.

As the keynote speaker at the 26th edition of the Pearson-Osae Appreciation Lectures, Prof. Akosa made a bold declaration that Ghana’s current state is a reflection of a deeper national failure to uphold discipline.

“I make this very bold statement that Ghana is where we are because of indiscipline. If you’re indisciplined, you cannot make progress. There must be a code of discipline,” he stressed.

The lecture at the John Agyekum Kufuor Auditorium of Prempeh College was held under the theme “Prempeh College: Making Us Different.”

The event also coincided with the College’s 77th anniversary, drawing old students, educationists, thought leaders, and friends of the institution for an evening of reflection and intellectual engagement.

Prof. Akosa used the platform to lament what he described as a worrying decline in reading culture, particularly at the basic and secondary school levels.

According to him, the neglect of reading is undermining critical thinking, discipline, and intellectual growth among young people.

“One of the things I lament about education in this country, especially in basic schools, is reading. We do not read,” he said, recalling how students in his time were compelled to read classics and complete multiple books before progressing academically.

He questioned claims that school timetables are overcrowded, arguing that young people still find ample time for social media, and therefore can make time to read if it is made compulsory.

As part of his recommendations, Prof. Akosa proposed that students between Form One and Form Two should be required to read at least six classic books, particularly from the African Writers Series.

He cited authors such as Chinua Achebe, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ayi Kwei Armah as essential voices for shaping disciplined and culturally grounded minds.

The Pearson-Osae Appreciation Lecture, now in their 26th year, has become a respected intellectual platform celebrating leadership, legacy, and the values that define great institutions.

This year’s lecture underscored Prempeh College’s long-held reputation for discipline and excellence, qualities many speakers noted must be rekindled across Ghana’s education system.