Education Minister, GES Boss Must Step Aside Over Obuasi SHS Sex Probe – Kwarteng

A former spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and member of the New Patriotic Party’s communications team, Kwasi Kwarteng, is calling on Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service to step aside pending an independent investigation into how authorities handled the sexual misconduct allegations against the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School.

Kwarteng said such an inquiry must establish what education officials knew about the allegations, when they became aware of them, and why, in his view, decisive action was delayed.

His demand follows a GES directive ordering the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Dr William Amankrah Appiah, and the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah, to step aside with immediate effect while investigations continue.

In a statement, Kwarteng said the Old Students’ Association of Obuasi SHTS had written to the Ministry of Education, the GES and other relevant officials on 26 July, raising concerns about alleged sexual exploitation and abuse involving the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai.

He added that he had been reliably informed that the Ashanti Regional Director had personally sought the intervention of the GES Director-General but received no response.

“If this account is accurate, accountability cannot justifiably end with the removal of only the regional and district directors,” Mr Kwarteng said.

He argued that the Education Minister and the GES Director-General should also step aside to allow an independent inquiry into how the complaints were handled.

“If the government is genuinely committed to addressing the situation, the Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, and the GES Director-General must also step aside pending an independent investigation into how these complaints were handled, who knew what, and why decisive action was delayed for 79 days until Manasseh’s investigative report brought the matter into the public domain,” he said.

GES announced on October 20 that Dr Amankrah Appiah and Mr Owusu-Nketiah were to hand over their offices and all state property in their possession to the Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Thomas Kwame Boateng. The Service said the measure was intended to ensure investigations proceeded without potential interference or the perception of it.

GES also clarified that Mr Abdulai remained interdicted, urging the public to disregard reports suggesting he had been cleared.

The headmaster has been the subject of allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students. The claims remain under investigation and have not been established in court.

Mr Abdulai, who also served as NDC Juaben Constituency Secretary, resigned from the party position and withdrew his bid for the constituency chairmanship on October 20, saying he intended to pursue lawful avenues to clear his name.

Mr Kwarteng’s call adds to scrutiny of how the allegations were handled by education authorities before they became the subject of public attention.