Ashesi University’s Safeguarding Lead, Dr Millicent Adjei, says Obuasi Senior High Technical School failed to create an environment where children felt confident enough to report abuse.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, she identified failures in professional boundaries and the school’s duty to encourage students to speak up.
“The school did not create that environment for the children, for the young children to be able to have that confidence to report to anyone.”
Dr Adjei, who is also Ashesi’s Director of International Programs and Campus Cohesion, said a student’s reluctance to report her experiences exposed a critical gap in protection.
“The second level is the environment, the environment that didn’t make it conducive because one of the victims did not feel confident enough or comfortable enough to report, so that enabling environment that allows and empowers them to report was broken.”
Referring to the account discussed on the programme, she said the student’s house prefect had to report the matter.
“It took the girl’s house prefect to go and report, and the girl had several experiences. One being in hospital for being caned, and nothing was done about it.”
Her comments follow Manasseh Azure Awuni’s investigation, Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow. It examines allegations of sexual abuse involving female students and headmaster Zakaria Abdulai.
The investigation also documents complaints made to authorities months before his suspension.
The Ghana Education Service has interdicted the headmaster pending investigations. A complaint has also been lodged with the police. GES action
Dr Adjei said those entrusted with children’s welfare must allow them to raise concerns.
“When you are given that duty of care, you are supposed to be the protector. You are supposed to create that environment where children will be able to come to you, right?”
She also questioned the practice of children delivering food to the headmaster’s residence. She described it as an earlier failure to maintain boundaries.
“Where children are going to the headmaster’s house, that is the first level that shouldn’t have happened.”
For Dr Adjei, the safeguarding failures extended beyond where students were sent. They also concerned whether children trusted the school enough to seek protection when something went wrong.