Education think tank Eduwatch has called for an independent, external investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS). The allegations involve at least one female student and the school’s headmaster, Mr Zakaria Abdulai. Eduwatch says the probe must cover every official whose action or inaction may have allowed the alleged abuse to continue.
Eduwatch says interdicting the headmaster is not enough, and wants a nationwide audit of school safeguarding systems and support for affected students.
The call follows an investigation by JoyNews and journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni. It documented allegations of repeated sexual abuse spanning more than a year, despite complaints reaching responsible education authorities.
“The investigation must extend to all officials whose actions or omissions may have enabled the alleged abuse to continue.”
Eduwatch
Journalists commended, interdiction welcomed
Eduwatch commended Mr Awuni and JoyNews for exposing allegations that existing security, safeguarding and accountability mechanisms had apparently failed to address.
It also welcomed the headmaster’s interdiction and the directive for a criminal investigation. The allegations against Mr Abdulai have not been tested in court, and the call for further action does not assume his guilt. However, the think tank said interdicting the headmaster alone falls short of what the situation demands.
According to the JoyNews investigation, complaints reached officials at the school and municipal levels well before the interdiction. In February 2026, the school’s Girl Child Coordinator, who is also its safeguarding officer, petitioned school management.
In March, five students reported allegations to the Municipal Education Directorate. Further incidents were allegedly reported in June and July.
Eduwatch said these revelations raise serious questions about compliance with safeguarding, reporting and referral procedures. They also raise questions about how effective supervisory accountability is within the Ghana Education Service (GES).
“The circumstances point to serious failures in the safeguarding chain, from the school to the regional education level.”
Eduwatch
The organisation said this raises legitimate concerns about the capacity and independence of the same education authorities to investigate the case. That, it argued, is why an external investigation is needed to establish institutional responsibility and ensure accountability.
wider pattern of concern
Eduwatch said its worry goes beyond Obuasi SHTS. A JoyNews review documented 44 reported cases of teachers and school heads accused of sexually abusing students between January 2015 and October 2026. More than half of those cases have no publicly reported final verdict or sanction.
The organisation acknowledged that the figures do not establish the national prevalence of sexual abuse in schools. It said, however, that they point to persistent weaknesses in prevention, reporting, investigation and accountability.
“The true scale may be greater, particularly where fear of retaliation, stigma and limited confidence in school level reporting mechanisms discourage disclosure.”
Eduwatch
Three demands to government
The Ministry of Education should commission an independent audit of teacher-student sexual relationships and school safeguarding systems in all secondary schools. The audit should be led by competent investigative and child protection institutions external to the GES and the TVET Service.
It should establish the extent and patterns of reported and unreported sexual misconduct, identify institutional and behavioural risk factors, and assess how well safeguarding, complaint-handling and referral mechanisms work.
Its findings, Eduwatch said, should inform system-wide reforms, including stronger prevention, reporting, monitoring and accountability arrangements.
The think tank added that assurances of confidentiality and non-retaliation are key to getting victims in all schools to volunteer relevant information.
The ongoing probe must examine the actions and omissions of school, municipal, regional and other relevant officials who received or became aware of the allegations.
Any official credibly implicated in suppressing complaints, discouraging disclosure, failing to report or otherwise compromising safeguarding processes should, where warranted, be temporarily removed from relevant duties pending investigation, without prejudice to due process. Appropriate disciplinary sanctions must follow wherever culpability is established, and Eduwatch wants those sanctions published.
“Appropriate disciplinary sanctions must follow wherever culpability is established, with sanctions published.”
Eduwatch
The Ministry of Education and GES must ensure confidential medical, psychosocial, legal and educational support for all affected students. Eduwatch also wants the students and their families protected from intimidation, retaliation and victim-blaming.
The Ministry of Education has yet to publicly respond to Eduwatch’s specific demands. The criminal investigation into the headmaster is ongoing. Whether the probe will be widened to include education officials above the school level, as Eduwatch is urging, remains to be seen.
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