Parliament’s Human Rights Committee Condemns Sexual Abuse at Obuasi SHTS

The Committee on Human Rights of Parliament has condemned alleged sexual abuse at the Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), following a Joy News investigation and exposé detailing severe allegations against the school.

In a statement issued on 15th October 2026 and signed by its Chairman, Hon. Ernest Yaw Anim, MP for Kumawu, the Committee said the alleged actions violate Sections 2 and 13 of the Children’s Act of 1998, and Article 34 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

The Committee commended the Minister of Education and the Ghana Education Service for the swift interdiction and suspension of the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, alongside another housemaster, and for initiating a full police probe into the incident.

It urged school authorities, management, teaching and non-teaching staff in second cycle and other educational institutions across the country to exercise the highest forms of ethical, moral and professional conduct in the discharge of their duties, and to safeguard the rights of children as they pursue their fundamental human right to education.

The Committee further appealed to the justice system to fast-track prosecution of the matter and apply the maximum sentence, once the head teacher is found guilty, to serve as a deterrent to prospective sexual abuse offenders and prevent any future occurrence.

It said it will, in exercising its oversight mandate, keep an eye on the investigation and prosecution of the case, and expressed hope that deterrence will come with policy reviews to safeguard the rights of children in all educational institutions.