Obuasi SHTS scandal: Haruna Iddrisu orders immediate end to students serving headteachers

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has directed the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure that no student is assigned to perform domestic duties for a headteacher, with immediate effect.

The directive was announced at a media briefing on Monday, October 26, 2026, as part of measures to strengthen student protection following allegations of sexual abuse involving 19 students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).

The GES Director-General is currently in Obuasi alongside the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection following allegations against the school’s suspended headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai.

Mr. Iddrisu said the government was committed to safeguarding students and would use administrative and legal measures to protect learners in educational institutions.

“We would work to safeguard and ensure the protection of all students as statutory duty. We intend to deploy all administrative and legal tools to achieve this. Today and into the future this should remain government most important priority,” he stated.

The minister said the directive was part of a broader effort to address weaknesses in school supervision and ensure that students were protected from potential exploitation by people in positions of authority.

He also announced plans to audit school regulations, monitor the conduct of headteachers, teachers and students, and obtain feedback from relevant stakeholders to identify gaps in the implementation of existing rules.

The planned review follows public outrage over allegations involving 19 schoolgirls at Obuasi SHTS and the school’s suspended headmaster. The case gained national attention following an investigative documentary by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.

In his remarks, Mr. Iddrisu stressed the need for a comprehensive response to the allegations and other reported cases of misconduct in educational institutions.

“The outrageous sexual abuse of many of our young girls as reported offers a golden opportunity for us policymakers and education sector regulators to address the issues at stake holistically and in a historical and factual dimension,” he said.

He also disclosed that institutional records showed similar concerns had been documented in previous years.

“Indeed, this is not the first time this disgusting occurrence has taken place. Institutional records register similar malpractices going as far back as 2021,” he stated.

Mr. Iddrisu said the ministry would engage parents and students to identify shortcomings in existing arrangements and address them to prevent a recurrence.

“We’ll move a step further to have discussions with parents and also students in order to identify the implementation gaps and bridge those gaps with no room for recurrence in the near and distant future,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) are leading investigations into allegations of rape and sexual assault against the suspended headmaster.

The minister has assured the public that the case will be handled through the appropriate investigative and legal processes, while measures are taken to strengthen student protection across the education sector.

The immediate directive on domestic duties, the planned audit of school regulations and closer monitoring of school officials form part of the government’s response to the controversy. The allegations against the suspended headmaster remain subject to investigation and due process.