Prof. Ransford Gyampo
A BBC Africa’s documentary exposing how lecturers across top universities in West Africa demand sex from their students to offer them undeserved good grades has sparked outrage.
Names of lecturers involved in the act, particularly male lecturers, have begun to pop up.
BBC under its Africa Eye project aimed at exposing wrongdoings in public institutions is scheduled to air the documentary that could lead to dismissals of lecturers involved if proven.
Gyampo Links
The BBC documentary appears to capture top University of Ghana Lecturer, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, a social commentator, in the scandal but he has already said he was entrapped.
According to the BBC, Prof. Gyampo, who is currently the Head of European Studies at UG, made “numerous inappropriate demands” from a ‘student’ he had agreed to mentor.
He is captured allegedly requesting to marry one of the BBC undercover journalists who had posed as a student.
Prof. Gyampo has said he is innocent and is threatening to sue the BBC for bringing his hard won reputation into disrepute.
Another Episode
In another episode in the documentary titled: “Sex For Grades”, another UG lecturer was caught on camera pleading for sex with an undercover reporter who pretended as a student.
The name of that lecturer has been given as Dr. Paul Kwame Butakor, who is at the College of Education, University of Ghana (UG).
In the BBC Africa Eye undercover documentary, Dr. Butakor is heard begging the lady to be her ‘side guy’.
An undercover BBC journalist had posed as a final year student of the School of Education and Leadership, University of Ghana, and approached Dr. Butakor about her desire to pursue Master’s Degree after her Bachelor’s Degree.
The lecturer appealed to the lady on several occasions, begging “let me be your side boy, side guy… men have side chicks…I will not give you trouble…seriously I will not give you trouble…I will not give you trouble…I will not be a distraction to your life…let me be your side guy…”
He went to reveal to the ‘student’ that he is a married man and that his wife is not in Ghana.
He then told her again that he would like to be by the side of the student or vice versa.
He said “maybe you’ll be my side and I’ll also be your side because me, I’m married…my wife is not in the country though…my wife is out of the country.”
According to the documentary, after meeting him for the second time in his office, Dr. Butakor told her how beautiful she was looking and inquired whether any guy on campus had ever said so.
“You look muwaah…how many guys have told you? You are beautiful today” he said.
Dr. Butakor, after his meeting with the final year student, offered a National Service work placement in his department even though the deadline for National Service application had passed.
He had assured her that there would be no interruptions and being in his office would help her focus on her career, saying “no distractions, your focus should be on your career…then the side will see how best he can also contribute to your career and make you to become a better person.”
According to the BBC, Dr. Butakor has denied having any sexual relationship with the lady, saying he follows all university sexual harassment and misconduct rules.
The BBC said the UG had told them that it considers the allegations to be ‘extremely disturbing’.
It said the university also said it has a proactive policy on sexual harassment and is committed to uprooting the problem.
BY Melvin Tarlue