By the time the story broke, it had all the elements of a horror movie set in a place that should be a sanctuary.
Nineteen schoolgirls at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) allegedly subjected to sexual abuse and rape.
A headmaster interdicted.
A community in shock.
And a nation asking, once again, how a school — a second home for our children — could become a hunting ground; read our front page story.
We welcome the firm assurance given by the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, that the Obuasi case will not be allowed to fade into oblivion.
For once, we want those words to mean something.
Too many such cases in our educational history have followed a predictable cycle: public outrage, ministerial assurance, police investigation, prolonged silence, and eventual amnesia.
In the past, cases of sexual misconduct in public schools have been muddied by politics, by old-boy networks, by traditional authority and by the instinct of the Ghana Education Service to protect its own.
This time must be different.
The Minister has stated that the Criminal Investigations Department and the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service are conducting independent investigations, and that the government will pursue criminal prosecution if sufficient evidence is established.
That is the correct and only acceptable path. An allegation of rape against a minor is not an administrative infraction to be resolved by a query or a transfer.
It is a serious felony under Section 97 of the Criminal Offences Act. It must be treated as such.
The Minister must hold the line on this promise. If evidence points to criminal culpability, the docket must go to court.
But prosecution alone, while necessary for justice, is not enough to fix a broken system.
What the Obuasi case exposes is a much wider, systemic failure of safeguarding in our senior high schools.
The Minister himself disclosed that institutional records show similar cases dating back to 2021, including incidents at Twifo Basic School, Bawku Senior High School and others in 2022.
That is an admission that we have a pattern, not an aberration.
We have treated child protection as an afterthought, not as a statutory duty.
For years, we have allowed an anachronistic and abusive culture where students, particularly girls, serve as domestic servants to headmasters and teachers — cooking, washing, cleaning their bungalows, sometimes sleeping in outhouses close to their masters.
This feudal practice creates an inherent power imbalance that predators exploit. It is an open secret.
Every old student has a story.
Therefore, the Minister's directive to the GES that no student should serve any headmaster or teacher as a domestic servant, forthwith, is long overdue.
We expect this directive to be enforced with immediate effect and with sanctions for heads who flout it.
The era of "school daughters" and "school sons" as domestic labour must end now.
Beyond that, the additional safeguarding measures announced, including the placement of independent safeguarding officers in schools and the creation of confidential reporting channels, are progressive and must be implemented without delay.
The reality in most of our schools today is that the headmaster is investigator, judge and jury.
A student who alleges abuse must report to the very office that may be complicit in covering it up.
That system guarantees silence.
A girl who has been abused needs a safe, independent, child-friendly channel.
She needs assurance that she will not be victimised, expelled or labelled a wayward child for speaking up.
The directive for mandatory reporting, where any suspected relationship involving abuse of power triggers immediate suspension and independent review, is also crucial.
Teachers must understand that the classroom is not a dating ground.
The Daily Graphic also welcomes the assurance of trauma-informed support for the 19 girls.
These children will need counselling, medical care and academic support for a long time.
We urge the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, which is already on the ground in Obuasi, to ensure that these girls are not re-traumatised by the investigative process, that their identities remain protected, and that their parents receive support.
We commend investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, whose work brought this matter to public attention.
Without courageous journalism, many such cases would remain buried in dormitories.
Let Obuasi be the last. Let due process take its course, and let justice be done — firmly, fairly and publicly.
