Omanghana
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has dispatched a specialist team to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region to provide counselling and welfare support to students affected by allegations of sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School.
The intervention, overseen by Gender Minister Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, began with the arrival of an advance team on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. It aims to address the students’ immediate protection needs while supporting their longer-term psychological recovery and welfare.
Officers from the Department of Social Welfare, the Domestic Violence Secretariat and the Department of Children form part of the team. Their responsibilities include assessing the students’ circumstances, providing psychosocial support and helping protect them from intimidation and stigmatization.
At least 19 female students are expected to receive support following the allegations. The team is also working with municipal directors and families to coordinate care and safeguard the students’ educational and emotional wellbeing.
Former Ghana Education Service Deputy Director-General Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh and Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights have commended the ministry’s response, highlighting the importance of assistance for the affected students.
The deployment follows public concern over an investigative documentary by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which presented allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of office involving the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai.
Abdulai, who has headed the school since 2015, has been suspended by the Ghana Education Service under the direction of the Ministry of Education.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak has also confirmed Abdulai’s arrest and the transfer of his case file to the Police Criminal Investigation Department headquarters in Accra for further action. The allegations remain subject to investigation and legal determination.
The ministry’s team continues to work with local authorities and families to ensure that the affected students receive sustained support as the case progresses.
Source: Omanghana
