Former Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson, has appealed to Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to take a keen interest in allegations of sexual abuse involving 19 female students of Obuasi Senior High School (SHS).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Women’s Organiser is urging the Vice President to use her voice and institutional influence to help protect the affected students, support efforts to secure justice and strengthen safeguards against sexual abuse in Ghanaian schools.
In a statement, Ms. Koomson said she was deeply disturbed by media reports, including an investigative report by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, concerning allegations of rape, sexual harassment, sexual assault and other forms of abuse involving the school’s headmaster, Mr. Zakaria Abdulai.
Also read: CRI fires warning over GES failures in school child protection
The reports have raised concerns about the safety and welfare of students, particularly allegations that some complaints were brought to the attention of school authorities as far back as March 2026 without meaningful action to protect the affected girls.
Ms. Hawa Koomson described the allegations as profoundly troubling and called on the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to conduct a swift, thorough, independent and transparent investigation.
She said anyone against whom sufficient evidence is established should face the appropriate legal processes, irrespective of political affiliation, social standing or institutional position.
“A child knows no political party colours. We must never subordinate the dignity, safety, and protection of our children to partisan considerations,” she stated.
Ms. Koomson expressed particular concern about reports of possible intimidation, victimisation and reprisals against the affected students and their families.
She called for effective measures to protect the students’ identities, ensure their safety and preserve their dignity throughout the investigation and any subsequent judicial proceedings.
The former minister also urged the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to work with child protection organisations to provide the affected students and their families with professional counselling, trauma-informed psychological care, medical assistance and other necessary support.
She further appealed to women in leadership, particularly the Vice President, to sustain their interest in the case and support broader efforts to protect girls from sexual abuse and exploitation in educational institutions.
Ms. Hawa Koomson said the matter raises serious questions about child protection systems, complaint-reporting procedures and supervisory responsibilities within Ghana’s education sector.
She called on the GES to undertake a comprehensive review of its safeguarding policies, particularly those governing teachers, headmasters, school administrators and other personnel entrusted with students’ care.
According to her, every school must have reliable and enforceable mechanisms to prevent sexual abuse, respond promptly to complaints and protect students from physical and psychological harm.
She emphasised that the best interests of the child must remain paramount in all decisions concerning the case, in line with the principles of the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560).
Ms. Koomson urged civil society organisations, child protection advocates, traditional and religious leaders, and the general public to support a credible investigative process.
She said protecting vulnerable children and ensuring safe learning environments should transcend political affiliations and institutional loyalties.