The Member of Parliament for Salaga South, Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah, has questioned why the headteacher of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai, who has been accused of sexually abusing students, has not been arrested despite reports of alleged abuse.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, October 19, the MP expressed concern that the headteacher had only been suspended by the Ghana Education Service (GES), while the legal process had yet to take its course.
According to her, there is an admission in the documentary by JoyNews investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which should serve as evidence to get the headteacher behind bars and not only be suspended.
“The perpetrator himself was able to go pleading, and I am surprised this man has not been arrested since. Even as we speak today, the only punishment for him is that he’s been suspended by the Ghana Education Service,” she said.
She added, “In the documentary, he [headteacher] admits and says that he was not going to do it again, and then he will go ahead and do it, meaning that there is some admission of culpability, yet the law has yet to take its course as far as this matter is concerned. How much evidence is needed?”
She said the documentary had revealed the extent of the alleged abuse and the failure of various authorities to respond adequately to complaints from the affected students.
She also raised concerns about the headteacher’s whereabouts following his suspension and the possibility of further risks to children in the community.
The MP criticised education officials and other stakeholders for their handling of the complaints, saying the girls had reportedly petitioned several authorities, including the regional and municipal directors of education and local government officials.
She described the situation as a failure to protect the students and called for greater scrutiny of how sexual abuse allegations in schools are handled.
“From this documentary, mainly, the school is a big crime scene,” she said.
The MP also praised the girls for speaking out and pursuing justice despite what she described as a lack of support from adults and authorities.