Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, says the Ghana Education Service (GES) failed to properly escalate allegations of sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).
Speaking on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Dr. Apaak said the case exposed weaknesses in the way sexual abuse complaints are reported and handled within the education system.
The allegations were brought to wider attention by a documentary investigating alleged sexual misconduct involving staff and students at the school. It reported that students had repeatedly complained to teachers and school authorities, but the concerns were not passed on to the national level.
The school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, has been interdicted, while the Ministry of Education has asked the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to investigate the criminal aspects of the allegations.
The GES has also directed the Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education and the Ashanti Regional Director of Education to step aside while the matter is examined.
Dr. Apaak said the Ministry wanted to establish who had been aware of the complaints and when they had received the information.
“We thought it wise to move even further to start asking questions and some of the questions are the reason why again, the GES, has had to ask both the Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education and the Ashanti Regional Director of Education to step aside,” he said.
He said officials were particularly concerned that the allegations had not been referred to the Ministry despite complaints detailed in the documentary.
“Who knew what when? Why was this never escalated to the national level and or brought to the attention of the Hon. Minister and myself?” he asked.
Dr. Apaak added: “And we have come to the conclusion that there is a failure in the reporting structure of GES, as far as these sort of abuses are concerned.”
The case is at the centre of an investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni titled Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow. It alleged sexual harassment, assault and rape involving female students, with the number of students reportedly coming forward increasing from 16 to 19.
The investigation said the school’s Girl Child Coordinator petitioned management in February 2026. Five students reportedly complained to the Obuasi West Municipal Education Directorate in March, while further alleged incidents were reported in June and July.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba said 38 teachers who spoke against Abdulai were asked to leave the school. He also said complaints dating back to 2025 had been ignored.
Abdulai was interdicted on October 14, 2026, on the orders of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, who referred the case to the CID.
The NDC has since reversed its earlier decision to allow Abdulai, its Juaben Constituency Secretary, to contest the Juaben chairmanship. After initially saying his constitutional rights should be respected during the investigation, the party demanded his resignation. Abdulai has resigned and withdrawn from the contest.
Child Rights International said the case reflected a wider culture of cover-ups and delayed action within the GES and called for a complete overhaul of school safeguarding policies.
Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka said on Tuesday, October 20, that Abdulai had been arrested and that the investigation had been transferred to Police Headquarters in Accra. He said due process was being followed, including procedures for DNA testing.
