On Tuesday, October 20, Deputy Education Minister Dr Clement Apaak announced a new reporting channel that will allow students, parents and other stakeholders to petition the Education Ministry directly over sexual abuse and other misconduct in schools. The initiative is aimed at addressing gaps in how such complaints are handled within the education system and ensuring serious allegations reach the appropriate authorities without delay.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Apaak explained that the channel would cover all levels of education, from primary and junior high schools to senior high schools, universities and colleges of education. He said the new route would enable complainants to bypass existing reporting structures when they believe school authorities or education officials are failing to act promptly on their concerns.
He cited the recent allegations of sexual abuse involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School and about 19 female students as a catalyst for the move. The Deputy Minister acknowledged that some officials had not escalated reports of alleged abuse, pointing to questions about how Obuasi’s education authorities handled the case.
“There is a systemic challenge in as far as the GES structure is concerned,” Apaak said. “It is not based on procedure, but it appears as though there is inertia or a refusal to act on matters of this nature or to bring them to ultimate authorities.” He added that the Ministry would also examine why the Obuasi Municipal and Regional Education Directors did not transmit information to the Ghana Education Service headquarters and political leadership promptly.
The new channel is intended to provide a faster, more responsive avenue for complaints, with the Deputy Minister assuring the public that it would be open for all education levels and that the Ministry would take up any petition received directly.
