The Member of Parliament for Salaga South and Vice Chairperson of Parliament’s Gender, Children and Social Welfare Committee, Honourable Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah, has called for “gender desks to be established in schools to provide pupils with accessible channels for reporting sexual abuse.”
She believes the proposed mechanism could help protect children by ensuring allegations reach appropriate authorities, particularly when the individuals accused of misconduct occupy positions of authority within their schools.
Honourable Ibrahimah made the appeal during a discussion on the alleged sexual abuse involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, which has reignited questions about student protection and the handling of abuse complaints.
She questioned how pupils could safely report misconduct when the person accused of abusing them might also be the authority responsible for receiving their complaints.
“But I think the most enduring one is to have the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection extend it, and, and I’m happy about the act, the social protection act, that says there will be desks in all state agencies.”
Honourable Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah
The MP emphasised that schools should also have accessible reporting points where pupils can seek assistance without being compelled to rely exclusively on their teachers or school administrators.
Furthermore, Honourable Ibrahimah proposed that the police could periodically visit school compounds to provide pupils with an alternative avenue for reporting alleged abuse. She believes the presence of external authorities could reassure vulnerable students that they have options beyond the institutional hierarchy within which the alleged misconduct occurred.
The lawmaker also endorsed the suggestion of introducing suggestion boxes as another means of receiving complaints from pupils. However, she stressed that the more sustainable intervention would involve establishing formal reporting structures capable of directing complaints to the appropriate agencies for attention and follow-up.
In her view, the arrangements must be straightforward enough for children to understand and use, particularly those in basic schools who may struggle to identify where to seek help. She emphasised that reporting mechanisms should be designed around the needs of pupils and the protection they require.
Salaga MP Calls For Stronger School Oversight
The Member of Parliament for Salaga South, Honourable Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah also called for stronger supervision of schools and more decisive institutional responses to allegations of sexual abuse involving teachers and pupils.
The Vice Chairperson of Parliament’s Gender, Children and Social Welfare Committee believes “weaknesses in monitoring and reporting procedures could allow misconduct to persist without timely intervention.”
Referencing the sexual misconduct at Obuasi Senior High Technical School, the lawmaker questioned whether district and municipal education directorates are exercising sufficient oversight over the schools under their supervision. She also cited figures presented during the discussion indicating that 60 percent of 26 schools identified in the data at the basic level, raising particular questions about the protection of younger children.
“These are the issues that the structures at the district level must pick up and highlight to safeguard our children.”
Honourable Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah
Honourable Ibrahimah stressed that school-level and district-level officials must be vigilant in identifying warning signs and escalating allegations to the appropriate authorities. She stressed that effective supervision requires more than administrative procedures, particularly where the alleged offender holds a senior position within the institution.
The MP also criticised the practice of allowing internal disciplinary processes to become the principal response to alleged sexual offences. She questioned why school authorities might pursue investigations and suspend a teacher without ensuring that the police are notified promptly, leaving victims or their families to initiate criminal complaints themselves.
She insisted that allegations of sexual offences require appropriate criminal investigation and cannot be adequately addressed through counselling or administrative sanctions alone. In her view, education authorities must establish clear procedures for referring such cases to law enforcement and ensuring that complaints are followed through.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to suspend the Headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Mr. Zakaria Abdulai, pending full investigations into an allegation of sexual misconduct against a female student of the school. Furthermore, Honourable Iddrisu also requested the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service to begin its own investigations.
Honourable Ibrahimah further called for closer collaboration between the Ghana Education Service, the police and the Ministry of the Interior to strengthen safeguards and clarify the response required when allegations emerge. She emphasised that reporting procedures must be accessible and decisive, without unnecessary administrative complications.
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