The Minority in Parliament has criticised the government’s handling of sexual abuse allegations involving female students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), demanding answers over delays in addressing complaints and possible institutional failures.
The Minority Women’s Caucus says the suspension of the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, is insufficient to resolve questions about when authorities became aware of the allegations and why concerns were not escalated earlier.
Addressing journalists in Parliament on Thursday, October 22, 2026, Deputy Minority Leader and caucus chairperson Patricia Appiagyei said the government must establish how the complaints were handled and ensure that officials responsible for any failures are held accountable.
“These developments do not dispose of the central questions of when did the authorities first know, what did they do and why were these girls left seeking help?” she asked.
Mrs Appiagyei questioned the response to reports involving at least 19 girls, noting that the Police indicated on October 20 that a complaint made in August 2026 had been investigated and the docket forwarded to the Attorney-General for advice.
She urged the Police to engage other potential complainants and investigate their accounts, while calling for protection, counselling, medical care and legal assistance for affected students.
“Frightened schoolgirls should not have to navigate official machinery unaided before the state takes an interest in their safety,” she said.
The caucus is demanding an independent inquiry into the handling of earlier complaints, including whether political interference contributed to delays or attempts to suppress reports.
It also wants the responsible ministers to provide Parliament with a timeline of events, detailing when authorities received information, the action taken and measures introduced to protect students.
“The government must identify who failed these students and hold them accountable. A suspension announced after public exposure cannot settle the question of earlier institutional failure,” Mrs. Appiagyei said.
The Minority further called for confidential reporting channels in schools that operate independently of any head teacher accused of abuse, alongside regular public updates that protect students’ identities.
The allegations gained national attention following journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni’s investigative report, Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, which brought allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students at the school into the public domain.
The Education Ministry subsequently directed the Ghana Education Service to interdict headmaster Zakaria Abdulai and requested a Police investigation.
Ashanti Regional Director of Education Dr. William Amankrah Appiah and Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah were also directed to step aside while investigations into the handling of the matter continued.
The Minority argues that the disciplinary measures do not remove the need to investigate how earlier complaints were handled and whether officials failed to protect students.
