No political interference in Obuasi SHTS sexual abuse investigation – Minister assures

Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has assured the public that political affiliations will not influence investigations into sexual misconduct allegations involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai. He said the government would ensure that due process was followed and that the investigation was conducted without political interference, regardless of the headmaster’s affiliation with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC). Mr Iddrisu gave the assurance at a press conference on October 26, amid public calls for an impartial investigation into allegations involving female students at the school. “I have observed some concerns raised by the women’s rights groups in Ghana urging us to ensure that political affiliations or party positions do not shield any accused persons. I assure you that we will do just that,” he said on Monday. The issue has attracted heightened scrutiny because Mr Abdulai previously served as the NDC’s Juaben Constituency Secretary and was seeking to contest the constituency chairmanship before withdrawing his candidature. His decision to withdraw from the race and resign as constituency secretary followed mounting public concern over the allegations. The NDC had also directed him to step aside to allow for an unhindered investigation by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Some activists have called for the case to be handled without political interference to ensure accountability and justice for the alleged victims. Mr Iddrisu said the government remained committed to safeguarding students and would deploy the necessary administrative and legal measures to protect them. “Primarily the essence of this press briefing is to assure the Ghanaian public that the Ministry of Education and the GES will do everything appropriate to safeguard and ensure the protection of all students as a statutory duty. We would not fail in this endeavor. We intend to deploy all administrative and legal tools to achieve this,” he said. He described the allegations as an opportunity for policymakers and education regulators to introduce comprehensive measures to address sexual abuse in schools. “Today and into the future this should remain government’s most important priority and it will be our important priority. I call on parents, guardians and students to support government for this to succeed,” he said. “The outrageous sexual abuse of many of our young girls as reported offers a golden opportunity for us as policy makers and the education ministry and regulators to issue holistic measures to respond to the abuse.” The Minister had earlier referred the criminal aspects of the allegations to the CID, while the Ghana Education Service (GES) interdicted Mr Abdulai pending investigations. The NDC has also publicly stated that it would not shield the headmaster if investigations establish his culpability, insisting that law enforcement agencies must be allowed to work independently. The allegations remain under investigation, and no conclusion on Mr Abdulai’s culpability has been established.