By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R) June 18, GNA-Parents and guardians in Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, have issued an unequivocal demand to the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Education, and law enforcement agencies to impose the severest penalties on male teachers allegedly found in any sexual abuse of students.Â
They requested outright dismissal and criminal prosecution should such culprits be found liable.
The parents expressed deep alarm over a video circulating on the social media, which allegedly involved a female student of Bole SHS and a science teacher in inappropriate sexual relationship, which they described as a disturbing rise in cases of teachers exploiting their authority to sexually exploit female students under their care.
Mr Stephen Amewugah, a parent at Vui, a suburb of Keta, told the Ghana News Agency, that the trend was causing immeasurable psychological trauma to victims, destroying academic futures, and breeding fear and insecurity in schools, thereby eroding public confidence in the educational system.
“Per my checks, some mothers recount specific cases of daughters and nieces who were sexually abused by teachers. Many victims suffered in silence due to fear of stigmatisation, disbelief, or retaliation from perpetrators,” he said.
He stressed that a major concern raised was that in several documented cases, teachers accused of sexual misconduct continued to teach and walk freely within school compounds without facing meaningful consequences, a situation many parents described as demoralising and unacceptable.
He argued that sexual abuse of students constitutes a serious criminal offence under Ghana’s laws, specifically the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), the Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732), and the Criminal Offences Act, and must be treated with the same urgency as other violent crimes.
“I don’t think the practice of settling such cases quietly through informal community mediation is the best. The law enforcement must prosecute every reported case to serve as deterrence and restore justice for victims.”
Madam Akpene Dzenawo, another parent called on GES to establish a dedicated, transparent, and time-bound disciplinary mechanism for handling sexual misconduct cases involving teachers and cited tha the current system was very slow and opaque.
She alleged that many teachers accused of sexual misconduct in many SHS’s were merely transferred to other schools instead of being dismissed and handed over to police, and described the practice of protecting perpetrators and endangers more students.
She advised that to prevent future abuse, a mandatory background checks and continuous character assessments must be conducted for all teachers, particularly those assigned to young female students, before and during employment.
Madam Dzenawo also called for the establishment of safe, confidential reporting channels in every school, including dedicated hotlines and anonymous reporting boxes, to enable students to report harassment and abuse without fear of exposure or victimisation.
Some other parents described teacher-student sexual abuse especially in Senior High Schools as a desecration of a sacred relationship, and said perpetrators deserved dismissal, prosecution, and traditional sanctions to deter offenders.
They further urged the GES to use their statutory powers to create safer school environments through adequate lighting, enforcement of open-door policies during teacher-student interactions, and stronger inclusion of Parent-Teacher Associations in child protection monitoring.
They also demanded proper mechanisms including age-appropriate sexual education for students to help them recognise, resist, and report inappropriate conduct, as well as holding training for teachers and administrators on child safeguarding standards and legal obligations to protect pupils.
GES further confirmed that the said teacher in the alleged video has been interdicted for further investigation.
GNA
Edited by: Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade