Child Rights International has blamed the GES for systemic failures and silence regarding school sexual abuse, following the shocking scandal at Obuasi SHTS.
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Child Rights International has blamed systemic failures—specifically what it describes as the silence and inaction of the Ghana Education Service (GES)—for the increasing cases of sexual abuse in schools across the country.
The child advocacy group says these recurring cases point to a deep institutional failure to protect children, citing the latest scandal at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) as a clear example.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Executive Director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah, condemned the reported cases of assault at Obuasi SHTS and called for immediate accountability.
"This recurring pattern of sexual abuse raises serious questions about the commitment to safeguarding children within our educational institutions," Mr. Appiah said.
"Child Rights International condemns this state of affairs and calls for urgent, decisive, and sustained action towards child protection."
TV3's Grace Hammoah Agyemang reports that Child Rights International emphasized that investment in education must go beyond infrastructure and focus heavily on safety.
"Investment in education must go beyond funding infrastructure and learning; it must also guarantee a safe, protective environment where every child can learn and thrive."
Mr. Appiah was emphatic that the GES cannot be trusted to protect children, pointing to its alleged inaction and silence over such issues.
"The GES cannot be trusted with the protection of our children in schools because of their silence and inaction on these matters," he stated.
Child Rights International is demanding that the GES immediately publish details of all investigations into abuse conducted since 2018 and take swift steps to enforce necessary disciplinary actions.
The call comes in the wake of allegations against the interdicted headmaster of Obuasi SHTS, Zakaria Abdulai, who is at the center of a JoyNews investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni titled ‘Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow’.
The investigation uncovered allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and rape involving female students. The number of students who have reportedly come forward has risen from 16 to 19.
According to the report, the school’s Girl Child Coordinator petitioned management in February 2026, while five students made complaints to the Obuasi West Municipal Education Directorate in March. Further alleged incidents were reported in June and July.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba has also revealed that 38 teachers who spoke out against the headmaster were transferred or asked to leave the school, and that complaints dating back to 2025 were ignored.
The headmaster was interdicted on October 14, 2026, on the orders of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, who referred the matter to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for criminal investigation.
Meanwhile, the NDC has cleared Mr. Abdulai—who serves as the party's Juaben Constituency Secretary—to contest the Juaben chairmanship despite the allegations, stating that his constitutional rights must be respected while investigations continue.
Child Rights International asserts that the Obuasi case is not an isolated incident, but rather symptomatic of a wider culture of cover-ups and delayed action within the GES, and is calling for a complete overhaul of safeguarding policies in schools.
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