A teacher at Ekumpoano Catholic Basic School, Stephen Desu, raised concerns on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, October 20, about alleged transactional sexual relationships between teachers and female students in Ghanaian schools.
Desu said some girls position themselves to exploit teachers for money, while others may be drawn into such arrangements because of financial hardship. He cited cases where teachers allegedly gave money to students during periods when food provision was a problem, with sex exchanged in return.
He urged parents to consider how their daughters are meeting their needs when away at school, especially when they receive little financial support from home. "If you leave your girl child in school and you don't support her with money and she's surviving, you as a parent, what makes you think that that child is surviving just because she's just there?" he asked.
Desu warned that the teaching profession has a responsibility to protect students, noting that with a workforce of over 300,000 teachers, predators can emerge. He said, "Unfortunately, if you have more than 300,000 persons in your classroom as teachers, you may get such persons as predators."
The comments come amid heightened scrutiny of alleged sexual abuse involving more than 14 female students at Obuasi Senior High Technical School, whose headmaster has been interdicted by the Ghana Education Service and arrested by police. The case has sparked debate on student protection and the handling of complaints of sexual misconduct.
While Desu described some relationships as transactional, any sexual relationship between a teacher and a student raises serious concerns about power imbalance and the teacher’s duty of care. Financial vulnerability can make students more susceptible to coercion or exploitation.
Investigations continue as the Ghanaian education authorities and police look into the allegations and seek to safeguard students from such exploitation.
