By Mavis Paintsil, Accra
Graphic Online says reactive suspensions are not enough after Obuasi SHTS scandal
ACCRA — Ghana’s schools are failing in their most basic duty — to keep children safe, the Daily Graphic has warned.
In a strongly worded editorial published on October 21, the state-owned daily said the country must move from reactive punishments to a proactive child protection system following the sexual abuse allegations at Obuasi Senior High Technical School.
The paper was reacting to allegations that the headmaster of Obuasi SHTS, Zakaria Abdulai, sexually assaulted multiple female students — a story first reported by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
Following the exposé, the Ministry of Education suspended the headmaster, the Police CID launched investigations, and the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Dr. William Amankrah Appiah, and the Obuasi East Municipal Director, Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah, were asked to step aside. Mr. Abdulai has also been asked to resign as Juaben Constituency Secretary of the NDC.
The Daily Graphic described the actions as commendable but inadequate.
The editorial argued that Ghana has normalized a dangerous cycle: abuse happens, a journalist exposes it, public outrage erupts, and officials are suspended — until the next scandal.
It is calling for a complete overhaul of how child protection is handled within the Ghana Education Service.
Backing the position of Child Rights International, the paper is demanding the establishment of an independent School Counselling and Child Protection Authority.
CRI Executive Director, Bright Appiah, proposes elevating the current GES counselling unit — which he says is weak, underfunded, understaffed and lacks independence — into a fully autonomous body with statutory powers to receive complaints, investigate, and protect victims without interference.
“Every child has the right to safety, dignity and protection. Schools must be places of safety, learning and opportunity, not environments where girls are exploited by the very people charged with protecting them,” the editorial emphasized.
