The Ministry of Education is planning to introduce stronger reporting mechanisms to enable students to report sexual abuse in schools without having to go through headteachers, following allegations involving 19 girls at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced the proposed measures on Monday, October 26, as he pledged government protection for journalists and whistleblowers who help expose abuse in educational institutions.
The case involves the school’s suspended headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, who is accused of sexually abusing the students.
Mr Iddrisu said the government intended to strengthen existing safeguards, including confidential reporting channels that bypass headteachers’ offices and a proposed hotline to make it easier for students and others to report abuse.
He also assured those who provide information about alleged misconduct that they would receive protection, specifically acknowledging investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni for his role in bringing the Obuasi SHTS allegations to public attention.
“We will get trauma-informed support for victims, including the 19 affected students. We will protect whistleblowers and safeguard them, including journalists, including Manasseh Azure Awuni, and many others,” he said.
The minister stressed that the allegations would be addressed through the appropriate administrative and legal processes, adding that the government would not allow the matter to disappear from public attention without action.
He said the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) would take the necessary steps to protect students, provide support for those affected and ensure that allegations of abuse in schools received appropriate attention.
The proposed reporting channels are intended to provide alternative avenues for raising concerns, particularly in situations where students may be reluctant to report alleged misconduct through the normal school hierarchy.
The government’s response also places emphasis on protecting those who bring allegations to light, alongside support for affected students and efforts to strengthen safeguards against abuse in educational institutions.
The minister did not provide a specific implementation date for the proposed hotline or confidential reporting arrangements in the remarks contained in the statement.
