PRESS RELEASE: URGENT CALL FOR A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IN GHANAIAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah
The safety and dignity of learners within Ghana’s Senior High Schools (SHS) have come under serious threat following a wave of disturbing allegations of sexual misconduct involving educators, those who are supposed to be the moral compass and guardians of our nation’s children.
Recent events have exposed what appears to be a growing trend of abuse cloaked in silence, fear, and administrative neglect. In two separate but equally distressing incidents, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has had to issue public statements confirming the interdiction and removal of school personnel over alleged sexual misconduct.
On 29th September 2025, the GES removed the Assistant Headmaster (Academic) of KNUST Senior High School, Mr. Charles A. Aidoo, from office following a viral video that reportedly captured him in a compromising situation with a female student. Similarly, on 2nd October 2025, Mr. Mfo Richard Tibetor of Okadjakrom Senior High Technical School was interdicted for allegedly engaging in inappropriate conduct with a student, prompting immediate sanctions and national outrage. These incidents are not isolated. Conversations with stakeholders across the country, educators, parents and even students suggest that such misconduct is far more pervasive than the public is being told. In many cases, female students are silenced by fear, stigma, and institutional inertia. Worse still, there are growing allegations that some female educators have become complicit in covering up or enabling these abuses.
As a country, we must not treat these reports as one-off scandals. They are symptoms of a systemic failure to uphold child protection principles within our schools.
A Matter of Urgent National Public Interest; The 1992 Constitution of Ghana, under Article 295, defines public interest as a matter concerning the welfare, safety, health, and dignity of citizens. Without doubt, the exploitation of school girls and boys by teachers in positions of power is a matter of urgent national public interest. It strikes at the heart of our national morality, undermines the integrity of our education system, and
traumatizes the very citizens our schools are meant to protect.
To this end, we respectfully call on: His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the Council of State and Parliament of Ghana to invoke Article 278 of the Constitution, which empowers the President to establish a Commission of Inquiry into matters of public concern.
Why a Commission of Inquiry Is Necessary; A Commission of Inquiry will offer a national, independent, and transparent mechanism for exposing the full scope of the problem. It will allow victims to speak, whistleblowers to be protected, and policymakers to act. It will also ensure that we move beyond reactionary press releases and begin building a structural response rooted in justice, accountability, and
reform.
A commission must be tasked to:
- Investigate the prevalence and patterns of sexual misconduct in all Senior High Schools across the country.
- Identify and expose networks of complicity, including school heads, teachers, and district officials who aid in cover-ups.
- Recommend policy and legal reforms to strengthen school safety, learner protection, and accountability frameworks.
- Suggest effective collaboration between education stakeholders, law enforcement, and civil society.
A National Duty to Protect Our Children; GNACOPS, representing thousands of private school stakeholders, believes that every Ghanaian child has the right to be educated in a safe, respectful, and abuse-free environment, whether in public or private institutions.
We urge other stakeholders, teacher unions, school heads, parent associations, CSOs, and religious bodies to support this national demand. Silence is no longer an option.
Let us act now to restore public confidence in our education system. Ghana’s children deserve no less.
Issued By:
Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah
National Executive Director
Ghana National Council of Private Schools
