Haruna Iddrisu
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to prohibit headmasters and teachers from using students as domestic servants following allegations of sexual abuse involving 19 female students of the Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).
He said the directive formed part of broader measures to strengthen the protection of students and prevent the abuse of authority by teachers and school administrators.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra yesterday on measures to address the allegations and strengthen safeguarding mechanisms in educational institutions, the minister said the alleged sexual abuse of the students by the school’s suspended headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, had scandalised the conscience of the nation and attracted widespread public attention.
He assured the public that the government would pursue the matter through administrative and legal processes to ensure that justice was served.
He said the scandal would not be allowed to fade from public attention without a thorough investigation and appropriate action.
“It won’t be swept under the carpet, and be assured that we would follow through every part of it, from administrative to legal protection and punishment,” he said.
Mr. Iddrisu said the Ministry of Education would work with the GES and other relevant institutions to ensure that justice was not only done but was also seen to have been done.
He disclosed that the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, and the Director-General of the GES, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, were in Obuasi to engage with the situation, adding that the school had reopened fully to continuing and fresh students for normal academic work to resume.
The incident has triggered calls from sections of the public for a broader investigation into similar allegations of abuse in other educational institutions.
The Education Minister said the government intended to use the incident as an opportunity to introduce comprehensive measures to protect students, noting that institutional records showed that similar malpractices had been recorded as far back as 2021.
He cautioned against politicising the matter, insisting that the problem should be addressed through appropriate institutional and legal processes.
The minister also appealed to the media to exercise caution in reporting the scandal and avoid using the incident to portray all educational institutions as unsafe.
He said the safety and security of students remained a priority across the country’s more than 720 senior high schools.
Mr. Iddrisu stressed that character building and the promotion of moral values remained important components of the country’s education curriculum.
He also assured women’s rights groups and other concerned organisations that political affiliations or party positions would not shield anyone accused of abusing students from accountability.
Support For Victims
The minister said the government would provide trauma-informed support for the 19 affected students and take steps to protect whistleblowers, including journalists who expose abuse in schools.
He commended investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, for bringing the allegations to public attention through his report, ‘Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow’, while stressing that all allegations must be subjected to the due process of law.
As part of efforts to improve reporting and accountability, Mr. Iddrisu said the government was considering the establishment of confidential reporting channels that would allow students to report abuse without going through headmasters’ offices.
The proposed channels would link students directly to independent bodies, including the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) and the GES.
He said the ministry was also engaging telecommunications company, MTN, to establish a dedicated hotline to facilitate the reporting of abuse and support investigations.
The minister further announced plans to strengthen mandatory reporting procedures and independent oversight of teacher-student relationships.
Under the proposed measures, suspected abuse of authority or inappropriate relationships between teachers and students would trigger immediate suspension and an independent review.
Mr. Iddrisu said the measures were necessary because of the unequal power relationship between teachers and students, which could leave young people vulnerable to exploitation.
“The teacher is in a position of power, and the student is a helpless person. We will protect every student from those abuses,” he said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu