The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Jacob Anaba, has called for the immediate dismissal of the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai, and officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the area in relation to allegations of sexual abuse of female students.
The headmaster is at the centre of the alleged sexual abuse scandal in Joy News investigative correspondent Manasseh Azure Awuni’s documentary, Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow.
The documentary captures over 14 alleged sexual abuse cases involving female students at the Obuasi Senior High Technical School.
Commenting on the scandal, Mr Anaba accused education officials in the Obuasi district of being aware of the complaints filed against the headmaster but failing to take decisive action, arguing that those responsible for protecting students should be held accountable for their poor handling of the matter.
“All those people heading the GES in that office, they should go. All of them, they are complicit. All of them,” Mr Anaba said on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, October 19.
“In the Obuasi districts, the head of the district, all of them should go, because they are aware of this situation. They shouldn’t have allowed this thing to happen.”
Mr Anaba said reports about the alleged abuse dated back to 2025, raising questions about why the concerns had not triggered an effective response before the issue became public.
He said students and parents had complained before the matter attracted widespread attention, adding that the anger of students had helped bring it into the public domain.
“It was the wrath of the students that brought this thing into the public domain. It happened earlier before that,” he said.
‘No one should be shielded’
The NAGRAT president questioned the response of local officials, including the district officials, whom he alleged had known about the complaints but failed to take appropriate action.
He insisted that anyone found to have failed in their duties or committed an offence should face the appropriate consequences, regardless of their position or professional standing.
“You see, this Ghana belongs to all of us. We have to protect the Ghana that we all belong to,” he said.
“So, if a member of us, a teacher, does the wrong thing, he must be taken through the due course of the law. No one should be shielded. No one.”
Mr Anaba argued that the teaching profession carried a special responsibility because of the trust placed in teachers and school authorities by students and their families.
He said the headmaster should not be allowed to continue teaching if the allegations against him were established.
“This man should leave immediately. He can’t be a teacher again, because the profession that we decide to belong to is a noble one,” he said.
“You have a fiduciary relationship with the student that you are handling. We may make mistakes, but not this type of mistake.”
38 teachers reportedly asked to leave
The NAGRAT leader further revealed that 38 teachers at the Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) were asked to leave the school after speaking out against the headmaster’s conduct.
He was concerned that teachers who sought to protect the interests of the affected students were rather being victimised, with their jobs on the line.
“As I speak to you, 38 teachers were being asked to leave the school. What was the reason?” he asked.
Mr Anaba alleged that the directive followed the work of a fact-finding committee chaired by the district director of education, who, he said, had instructed the assistant headmaster to communicate the decision to the teachers.
The headmaster has reportedly been interdicted and suspended following the latest revelations as investigations intensify.