‘One or two teachers in almost every school engage in sexual misconduct’ — Teacher alleges

A teacher at Ekumpoano Catholic Basic School, Stephen Desu, has alleged that sexual misconduct by teachers is widespread across Ghana’s schools, claiming that almost every school has one or two teachers involved in such behaviour.

He said the problem had persisted for years but was often not openly acknowledged, warning that failure to confront it decisively could leave students vulnerable to abuse.

“ And almost every school, if all of us will be politically correct with everything, everybody is aware that in almost every school, there is one or there are two teachers who are engaged in this,” he said.

Mr Desu made the comments on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, October 20, during a discussion on allegations of sexual abuse involving female students at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).

The case has drawn national attention following reports by JoyNews investigative correspondent Manasseh Azure Awuni. The school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, has been interdicted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and arrested by the police as investigations continue.

The allegations against Mr Abdulai have not been established in court.

‘The problem is at every level’

Mr Desu said sexual misconduct was not confined to senior high schools, adding that concerns existed at the primary and junior high school levels as well.

“At the primary level, the problem is there. At the JHS level, it’s there. But it’s worse. It’s worse at the SHS level,” he said.

He also alleged that some teachers viewed postings to senior high schools as an opportunity to engage in sexual misconduct.

“And sometimes a teacher will be at a primary school and say, no, I wish to go to the SHS. Why? Because that’s where he can exhibit his predatory, you know, sexual misbehaviour,” he said.

Asked whether colleagues made such comments, he replied: “Of course.”

Calls for accountability

Mr Desu blamed what he described as the failure of the GES to deal decisively with sexual misconduct for allowing the problem to persist.

He argued that when people were not punished for wrongdoing, others could be encouraged to repeat the behaviour.

“And any time you have a situation where people are not punished for wrongdoing, it begins to fester. And more people learn from that misbehaviour and continue to do the wrong things. And a lot of people copy,” he said.

He called for a more decisive response from education authorities, particularly in dealing with complaints and ensuring that students were protected.

The allegations surrounding Obuasi SHTS have renewed scrutiny of how schools respond to complaints of sexual misconduct and whether existing safeguards adequately protect students.

Mr Desu’s claim that such behaviour occurs in almost every school was not independently substantiated in the interview comments provided. The GES and other relevant authorities would need to establish the extent of the problem through credible evidence and investigations.