The Deputy Education Minister, Honourable Clement Apaak has directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to take immediate steps to protect a 14-year-old student of Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School following a reported sexual assault allegedly involving two watchmen employed by the school. He explained that the directive followed the Ministry’s decision to intervene after the incident came to public attention and before a full report from the GES reaches the Ministry.
The intervention, according to Honourable Apaak, includes medical care and counselling for the student as well as the restoration of her boarding status. He indicated that the Education Minister assigned him to lead the response after receiving information about the incident through Bolgatanga based journalist Edward Adeti.
The Deputy Education Minister further disclosed that the Ministry was awaiting a comprehensive report from the Director General of the Ghana Education Service. Meanwhile, the urgency of the matter prompted ministerial action aimed at providing clarity and reassuring parents about the safety of students within school environments.
A key part of the directive focuses on the welfare of the student and the manner in which her situation was handled. Honourable Apaak explained that the parents raised issues with the school’s decision to withdraw their daughter from boarding and expected the relevant education authorities to address the matter appropriately.
“We are taking a keen personal interest in this, and we side with the parents. If the parents decide that based on those conditions, their ward should no longer be in the school environment, we would understand that.”
Honourable Clement Apaak
The Ministry’s position also places the incident within Ghana’s efforts to strengthen inclusive education. In his view, a student with special educational needs requires protection and appropriate support within the education system, particularly when the individual becomes the victim of an alleged offence.
The Deputy Education Minister therefore linked the response to the government’s commitment to expanding opportunities for students with disabilities within mainstream schools. He argued that the circumstances surrounding the reported incident should lead to stronger institutional safeguards and appropriate support for vulnerable learners.
The handling of the case has also prompted questions about the responsibilities of school authorities. Honourable Apaak indicated that the Regional Director, District Director and school headmistress would be required to account for aspects of the response once the full facts become available.
Education Authorities Face Scrutiny Over School Safety Measures
The broader issue of campus safety has emerged as a central part of the Ministry’s response to the reported incident. Addressing the matter, Honourable Apaak explained that schools operate through established structures under which headteachers and headmistresses supervise teaching and non teaching personnel.
These responsibilities extend to security personnel engaged to protect students and school property. According to the Deputy Education Minister, institutions that engage security guards or watchmen must ensure that such personnel operate within appropriate standards and that students remain protected within the school environment.
The incident has consequently placed greater emphasis on how schools supervise personnel who interact with students. Proper oversight, clear reporting procedures and effective institutional responses remain essential elements in protecting learners and preserving confidence in schools.
“We expect that the structures and the systems should work. And if and when they don’t, we will hold people accountable, and we will do just that.”
Honourable Clement Apaak
The position outlined by the Ministry also places responsibility across several levels of the education system. While GES oversees pre tertiary education, individual schools retain important duties concerning the conduct of staff and the welfare of students under their care.
In this regard, the directive for GES to take responsibility for the student’s medical attention and counselling follows the agency’s mandate over secondary education. The Ministry’s approach allows the education service to carry out its institutional responsibilities while ministerial oversight addresses matters requiring higher level intervention.
Another aspect involves the student’s return to the boarding system. The Deputy Education Minister explained that the Ministry’s preference centres on restoring the student’s boarding status while recognising the role of her parents in deciding what arrangement best serves her welfare.
The distinction is significant because the Ministry’s intervention seeks to prevent the student’s alleged victimisation from becoming a reason for exclusion from the school environment. Honourable Apaak linked the position to the principle that students with special needs should participate in mainstream education where appropriate.
The reported incident has also raised questions about the communication chain within the education system. For the Ministry, learning about an incident of such magnitude through public reporting points to the need for stronger internal reporting and escalation mechanisms.
Furthermore, accountability is expected to extend beyond the immediate circumstances surrounding the student. School managers and officials responsible for supervision are expected to ensure that established procedures work effectively and that incidents involving students receive prompt institutional attention.
The Ministry’s response therefore combines immediate support for the affected student with wider scrutiny of school management practices. This approach seeks to ensure that safeguarding responsibilities remain active throughout the education system and that vulnerable learners receive appropriate protection.
Honourable Apaak also linked the matter to the government’s wider effort to improve special needs and inclusive education. The policy direction requires schools to create environments where students with different forms of disability can participate in education while receiving the protection and support necessary for their welfare.
“We cannot go against our principle of promoting inclusive education by agreeing that because she has special needs and because she’s a victim, the solution is that she should be withdrawn.”
Honourable Clement Apaak
The Deputy Education Minister’s position places the reported incident within a wider discussion about safety, accountability and inclusion in Ghana’s schools. As the Ministry awaits the full GES report, the immediate emphasis remains on the student’s welfare and on establishing the facts surrounding the alleged assault.
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