Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education has expressed concern about alleged occult practices and other deviant religious behaviour in schools. He noted that the trend if not checked would lead to a general breakdown of discipline in schools with consequential poor academic performance of students. Mr Onyinah was addressing a meeting of Chaplains of Second Cycle institutions in Ashanti Region in Kumasi. The meeting convened by Ashanti Regional Education Directorate was to form an association of chaplains in second cycle schools in the Ashanti Region to effectively collaborate with school guidance and counselling units to promote the spiritual and moral growth of students. The association would in addition, adopt a common platform to champion the cause and welfare of chaplains and play an advocacy role to promote religious values. Mr Onyinah said, available reports alleged that some students became involved in the practice of occultism through unapproved meetings in obscure places and some innocent students were lured into the practice before they become aware. He reminded school authorities to take appropriate measures to stamp out those practices by strictly enforcing school rules and regulations and asked Chaplains to promote sound spiritual and moral life in school communities to enhance national values for peace and development. Mr Onyinah advised them to identify common and unique problems that affected the spiritual and moral life of students and develop effective mechanisms to address them. He expressed concern about the breakdown of the moral and social fibre and activities of some false religious and morally upright youth. Mr Onyinah noted that, the practice of various forms of religions in school communities was essential to mould the character and moral life of students. He was optimistic that the association would not only foster unity, brotherliness and understanding among them but would come out with realistic and pragmatic measures to address some problems that affected the proper and holistic growth of students. Reverend Father Oscar Christian Amoah, Chaplain of Kumasi Anglican Senior High School was optimistic the meeting would offer meaningful suggestions that would help up lift the spiritual, discipline and moral of students. Source: GNA