Obuasi SHTS Sexual Abuse Case: Student safety remains government’s priority – Haruna Iddrisu

The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have pledged to deploy all necessary administrative and legal measures to safeguard students following sexual abuse allegations involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said protecting students remained a primary responsibility of the government and education authorities, assuring the public that they would not fail in their statutory duty to ensure the safety of learners.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, October 26, Mr Iddrisu called on parents, guardians and students to support government efforts to strengthen student protection in schools.

“Primari,ly the essence of this press briefing is to assure the Ghanaian public that the Ministry of Education and the GES will do everything appropriate to safeguard and ensure the protection of all students as a statutory duty. We would not fail in this endeavour. We intend to deploy all administrative and legal tools to achieve this,” he said.

He stressed that student safety would remain a priority for the government, describing the allegations reported at Obuasi SHTS as an opportunity for policymakers and education regulators to introduce comprehensive measures to address sexual abuse in schools.

“Today and into the future, I urge this should remain the government's most important priority, and it will be our important priority. I call on parents, guardians and students to support government for this to succeed,” he said.

“The outrageous sexual abuse of many of our young girls as reported offers a golden opportunity for us as policy makers and the education ministry and regulators to issue holistic measures to respond to the abuse.”

The allegations against the headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, have drawn public concern and calls for accountability, prompting investigations by the relevant authorities.

The case has also renewed calls for stronger safeguards within educational institutions to protect students from sexual misconduct and ensure that complaints are handled appropriately.

Mr Iddrisu said the government intended to use the matter to strengthen its response to abuse and reinforce its responsibility to protect students across the country.

The allegations remain subject to investigation.