The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has assured journalists and whistleblowers involved in exposing alleged sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) of government protection.
The case involves the school’s suspended headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, who has been accused of sexually abusing 19 female students. The allegations are subject to the appropriate investigative and legal processes.
Speaking to the press on Monday, October 26, 2026, Mr Iddrisu commended investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni for bringing the allegations to public attention and pledged support for those who helped expose the matter.
“We will get trauma-informed support for victims, including the 19 affected students. We will protect whistleblowers and safeguard them, including journalists, including Manasseh Azure Awuni, and many others,” the minister said.
Mr Iddrisu stressed that the allegations would be addressed through the appropriate administrative and legal procedures, assuring the public that the case would not be allowed to fade from attention without the necessary action.
He also outlined plans to strengthen child protection systems in schools, including the introduction of confidential reporting channels that would allow students to report abuse without having to go through headteachers’ offices.
A proposed hotline is also expected to provide an additional channel for students and other concerned individuals to report suspected abuse.
The measures are intended to make reporting safer, improve responses to complaints and help protect students from sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse within educational institutions.
The minister said the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service would take the necessary steps to support the affected students, strengthen safeguarding arrangements and ensure that allegations of sexual abuse in schools receive appropriate attention.
The case has renewed public concern about child protection in Ghanaian schools, particularly the handling of complaints, the safety of students who report abuse and the protection of teachers, journalists and other individuals who expose alleged wrongdoing.
It has also intensified calls for stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure that complaints of sexual misconduct are investigated promptly and that appropriate action is taken where wrongdoing is established.
Story by Doe Benjamin Kofi Lawson