Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has called for an independent nationwide audit of teacher-student sexual relationships and safeguarding systems in all secondary schools to identify gaps in the prevention and handling of sexual misconduct. The education policy advocacy organisation wants the Ministry of Education to commission the audit through investigative and child protection institutions independent of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the TVET Service.
In a statement issued on Friday, October 16, 2026, Eduwatch said the exercise should establish the extent and patterns of reported and unreported sexual misconduct, identify institutional and behavioural risk factors, and assess the effectiveness of existing reporting, complaint-handling and referral mechanisms.
The call follows allegations of sexual abuse involving at least 16 female students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School and the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai. An investigation by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni documented allegations of repeated abuse spanning more than a year, despite complaints reportedly reaching education authorities.
Eduwatch said the allegations raised concerns about weaknesses in school safeguarding and accountability systems, particularly after complaints were reportedly made to school management and the Municipal Education Directorate months before further incidents were alleged.
The organisation also cited another report that documented 44 cases involving teachers and school heads accused of sexually abusing students between January 2015 and October 2026. More than half of the cases had no publicly reported final verdict or sanction.
Eduwatch cautioned that the figures did not establish the national prevalence of sexual abuse in schools but pointed to persistent weaknesses in prevention, reporting, investigations and accountability. It added that fear of retaliation, stigma and limited confidence in school-level reporting systems could discourage victims from coming forward.
The organisation said the audit should inform system-wide reforms to strengthen prevention, reporting, monitoring and accountability. It also stressed the need for confidentiality and protection against retaliation to encourage victims to disclose abuse.
Eduwatch maintained that addressing teacher-student sexual misconduct required a shift from reactive interdictions to proactive, system-wide safeguarding measures to ensure schools remained safe environments for learning and development.
