Former President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has raised concerns that sexual misconduct in Ghanaian schools could be more widespread at the basic school level than in senior high schools (SHSs). He attributed the possible trend to the vulnerability of younger pupils, the large number of basic schools across the country and entrenched cultural practices in some communities that could contribute to such incidents.
Mr Carbonu made the remarks on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, October 24, while discussing allegations of sexual abuse involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai, who has been accused of raping 19 students.
Although the allegations have brought renewed attention to sexual misconduct in senior high schools, Mr Carbonu cautioned against viewing the issue as one limited to that level of education. He argued that the problem was rooted in broader societal attitudes, cultural norms and traditional practices, while emphasising that none of these could justify sexual misconduct.
“The problem is coming from Ghanaian society, and you can even trace it to our culture and traditions and how we establish relationships. But none of that is a justification for the issues that concern us right now,” he said.
Mr Carbonu further suggested that the situation could be more severe in basic schools, citing the widespread presence of such schools in communities nationwide and the relative vulnerability of younger female pupils compared with their counterparts in senior high schools.
He also pointed to deeply rooted cultural practices in some communities, warning that these could contribute to the problem and underscoring the need to address sexual misconduct across all levels of the education system.
