Former Ministry of Education spokesperson Kwasi Kwarteng has called on Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and Ghana Education Service (GES) Director-General Professor Ernest Kofi Davis to step aside pending investigations into alleged sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).
Mr Kwarteng argued that accountability in the matter should extend beyond the school and district-level officials facing administrative action to include senior education authorities whose handling of the case he believes warrants scrutiny.
In a social media post titled “Both the Education Minister and the Director-General of GES Should Step Aside If the Government Is Serious About Investigating the Obuasi SHS Abuses,” he questioned the legal basis for the suspension of the District Director of Education.
He cited Section 4 of the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049), arguing that supervisory and management responsibilities over senior high schools rest with the Regional Directorate of Education rather than the District Directorate.
The former spokesperson said the provision raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the district director’s suspension and called for a broader examination of the decisions taken by education authorities.
“If the Government is truly committed to addressing this matter, both the Minister for Education and the Director-General of GES should also step aside for their failure to act all this while pending full investigations,” Mr Kwarteng said.
He added that accountability should not be limited to officials at the lower levels of the education administration.
“Accountability must reach those responsible for their failure to act, not only the low hanging fruits who can be easily sacrificed,” he stated.
Minister’s spokesperson disputes claims
However, Hashmin Mohammed, spokesperson to the Education Minister, has challenged aspects of Mr Kwarteng’s criticism, insisting that Mr Iddrisu took steps to address the allegations after they were brought to his attention by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
In a response addressed to Mr Kwarteng, Mr Mohammed said the minister promptly instructed the GES Director-General to ensure the immediate suspension of the school’s headmaster following the disclosure of the alleged abuse.
He added that the minister subsequently wrote to the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), formally requesting a thorough investigation into the allegations.
According to Mr Mohammed, these actions demonstrate that the minister treated the matter seriously and initiated measures to facilitate accountability.
He therefore urged Mr Kwarteng to consider the minister’s documented actions in assessing his handling of the case.
Mr Mohammed also disputed the claim that the minister and the GES Director-General had been notified of the incident through a letter allegedly written by the school’s old students on July 26, 2025.
The spokesperson said the minister’s office had no record of receiving the correspondence and, consequently, could not accept the assertion that the minister had received the letter and failed to act on it.
He, however, clarified that he could not speak to the internal correspondence or administrative records of the GES Director-General’s office.
Mr Mohammed challenged Mr Kwarteng to publish documentary evidence establishing that the letter had been received by the minister’s office, saying the matter should be examined objectively.
He maintained that public discussions about allegations of sexual abuse must be guided by verifiable facts rather than assumptions or unsubstantiated claims.
While acknowledging Mr Kwarteng’s right to criticise public officials and demand accountability, Mr Mohammed said such criticism should be fair and evidence-based.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
