Obuasi headmaster suspended over sexual abuse allegations
Abdulai Zakaria’s suspension comes as GES reviews a separate recommendation to transfer him and other staff following an August riot in which students assaulted him.
The headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Abdulai Zakaria, has been suspended over allegations that he sexually abused female students, pending a full investigation.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) imposed the suspension following a directive from the Ministry of Education. The allegations emerged in a documentary featuring accounts from students who said they had been abused.
Separately, a committee investigating an August riot at the school has recommended transferring the headmaster and other staff to different institutions or duty stations, citing security concerns and the interests of the service.
The proposed transfers relate to the disturbance in which students assaulted Mr Zakaria and damaged property. They do not constitute a finding on the sexual abuse allegations.
Speaking on Joy FM on Thursday, October 15, GES Deputy Director-General in charge of Quality and Access, Dr Issahaque Munawaru, said any staff member found responsible for sexual misconduct would be dismissed.
“Once we establish culpability, it’s dismissal,” he said.
Separate investigations
Dr Munawaru said GES officials visited the school after the 5 August riot and met the Municipal Chief Executive and the police command.
The service referred professional and disciplinary matters to a committee, while police handled the criminal investigation.
He said the committee’s report reached GES headquarters the previous week and that he understood the Director-General had assigned officials to review its findings.
Among its recommendations was a proposal to repost the headmaster and other staff “to other institutions or duty stations in the interest of the service”.
It also proposed referring teachers, non-teaching staff and students whose conduct raised reasonable suspicion or concern to the appropriate disciplinary authorities.
Other recommendations included dissolving informal student groupings and strengthening channels for reporting sexual harassment. Designated staff should be trained to handle complaints confidentially and promptly under GES safeguarding policies, the committee proposed.
What happened during the riot?
Students assaulted Mr Zakaria during a violent confrontation on August 5, leaving him with multiple injuries. He received treatment at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
Property at his bungalow, including a vehicle and household items, was damaged. Police intervened, and six students suspected of involvement were arrested.
The confrontation followed accusations by students that the headmaster was involved in ritual activities.
Review still underway
Dr Munawaru said he had not seen explicit findings of culpability for sexual abuse in the portions of the committee’s report he had read.
He cautioned that this did not mean the full report contained no such findings. GES headquarters could also vary a regional committee’s findings where there were grounds to do so, he said.
He did not give a completion date for the review, saying its timing would depend on instructions from the Director-General.
Dr Munawaru also said the GES Council had approved about 15 dismissals in October in separate sexual harassment cases dating back to 2021.