The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Saibu, has called on the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), to implement decisive action to combat the canker of teacher absenteeism in senior high schools across the country.

According to the Minister, teacher absenteeism, if not checked, would not only affect effective teaching and learning but would also negatively influence the attitudes of students in the future.

"Chairman, teacher absenteeism has become a thing of most senior high schools in the country. Teachers are highly expected to be role models to their students and with such attitude, the students might emulate this in the future. This will not help the country in its quest to develop its educational system," he said.

The Northern Regional Minister's call comes on the backdrop of teacher absenteeism, which he said is becoming prevalent in schools, particularly SHSs across the country.

He made the call at the 62nd Annual Conference of CHASS, held in Tamale the Northern Regional capital.

Addressing a gathering of heads of schools, educators and stakeholders in the education sector, chiefs and opinion leaders among others, the Northern Regional Minister admonished teachers to be ambassadors of change in the lives of students.

This, he said when done, would help change the educational landscape positively.

Mr Shaibu also called on the CHASS to address the issue of student Indiscipline in the country’s second-cycle schools.

He cited recent happenings in some schools to support his call for measures to be taken to address the issue.

"As you are all aware our schools are supposed to be sanctuaries for learning where we expect orderliness. This is to create an environment that nurtures both academic excellence and behavioural change. However, this has eluded our current generation of students.

"Almost every time we hear of indiscipline in one school or the other and examples are bound in our schools I will therefore urge CHASS to take up the issue and address it as quickly as possible," he said.

The Northern Regional Minister further expressed worry about the issues of substance abuse among students in schools, something he said also needs urgent attention from CHASS.

"The issue of substance abuse in our country's SHS is quite alarming and we need a concerted effort to educate them and also put in stringent measures to address this growing menace in our schools," he said.

The Minister said this issue of must get rich at all costs among students, if not addressed has the potential to lead most of these students into occultism.

He called for collaborative efforts among stakeholders in addressing this issue.

He commended CHASS for their dedication and resilience in fostering a conducive learning environment for the Ghanaian youth.