A teacher asking a female student to deliver food to his home has already crossed a safeguarding line, says Amartei K. Amartey, Safeguarding Officer at Kingsdale Secondary Schools in the UK.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, he said that action alone warranted sanctions, regardless of the wider allegations being investigated at Obuasi Senior High Technical School.
“Why is a girl child carrying food to a staff member’s house? That’s a safeguarding issue.”
For Mr Amartey, the concern begins with exposing a student to a vulnerable situation. He said safeguarding rules protect both children and staff.
His comments follow a JoyNews investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni into allegations of sexual abuse involving the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai.
The investigation reported that education officials and other influential figures had received complaints months before his suspension.
The Ghana Education Service has directed two education directors to step aside as investigations continue. The headmaster remains interdicted. The allegations have not been established.
Mr Amartey questioned why the school allowed the food delivery arrangement in the first place.
He argued that the safeguarding breach itself should have prompted decisive action.
“That action of asking a female student to carry your food from the dining hall to your house — that alone, you must go. You will lose your license and possibly be charged.”
He made the remarks while discussing how the UK would treat such conduct.
Asked whether a teacher there could send a child from the dining hall to the teacher’s residence with