Obuasi SHTS: GES orders Ashanti Regional, Obuasi East directors to step aside amid sexual allegations

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed two senior education officials in the Ashanti Region to step aside as investigations continue into alleged sexual misconduct involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).

The officials are Dr. William Amankrah Appiah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, and Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah, Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education.

In a statement on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, GES said the directive takes immediate effect and is intended to ensure that the investigation proceeds without interference or the perception of interference.

The two directors have been instructed to hand over their offices and all state property in their possession to Thomas Kwame Boateng, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education.

The investigation centres on allegations against the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, who remains interdicted.

GES has cautioned the public against reports suggesting that the headmaster has been cleared.

“The headmaster also remains interdicted. Therefore, the public is urged to ignore any news making the rounds that the headmaster has been cleared,” the Service said.

The development follows an investigative report by JoyNews journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which exposed allegations of sexual misconduct involving the school’s headmaster, Mr Zakaria Abdulai, and raised questions about how complaints concerning the matter were handled.

The report brought renewed attention to the allegations and the response of education authorities, prompting calls for accountability and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case.

GES has urged the public to remain calm and cooperate with the investigation.

“Management calls for calm, support, and cooperation as thorough investigation into the matter continues,” the statement added.