Child Rights International accuses the GES of prioritizing school reputation over student safety, calling for a complete overhaul of safeguarding policies.
3 min read
Child Rights International has accused the Ghana Education Service (GES) of handling sexual abuse allegations as a means of protecting the image of schools rather than protecting victims.
Executive Director of the organisation, Bright Appiah, who has been addressing the media on the Obuasi Senior High Technical School sexual abuse scandal today, Tuesday, October 20, 2026, says the current approach by the GES emboldens perpetrators and endangers students.
He insisted that abuse cases should no longer be treated as mere internal disciplinary issues.
"GES must ensure that allegations of abuse are not handled solely as internal administrative matters, but referred to the appropriate law enforcement and child protection authorities," he said.
According to him, the failure to involve law enforcement and child protection agencies in such cases has contributed to the increasing incidents of sexual abuse in schools.
He also called for a complete review of the GES code of conduct, which he said is skewed towards shielding institutions.
"GES must review its code of conduct to ensure it is child centred instead of focusing on protecting the reputation of educational institutions," Appiah stated.
The advocacy group had earlier blamed systemic failures and the silence of the GES for the rising abuse cases, demanding that the Service publish details of all abuse investigations since 2018.
The call comes in the wake of allegations against the interdicted headmaster of Obuasi SHTS, Zakaria Abdulai, who is at the centre of an investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni titled ‘Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow’.
The investigation reported 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 investigation, the school’s Girl Child Coordinator petitioned management in February 2026, while five students reportedly 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 against the headmaster were 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 has referred the matter to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for criminal investigation.
The NDC, which had earlier cleared Abdulai, who is its Juaben Constituency Secretary, to contest the Juaben chairmanship despite the allegations, has made a U-turn. The party had said his constitutional rights must be respected while investigations continue, but has now demanded his resignation. He has since resigned from his position and withdrawn from the race.
Child Rights International says the Obuasi case is not isolated but 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.
Share