When schools become unsafe: normalized sexual harassment and assault in Ghana’s education system

The recent wave of sexual harassment cases in Ghana’s education sector, ranging from the KNUST senior high school scandal to the Labone SHS French teacher charged with indecent assault, has rekindled an uncomfortable yet necessary conversation. This unsettling situation reveals a longstanding pattern of abuse that is sustained by silence, weak enforcement, and societal denial. Our schools, which are meant to be spaces for knowledge acquisition, are increasingly becoming unsafe for students, particularly young girls. This article argues that the persistence of sexual harassment and assault in Ghana’s education system reflects profound institutional and societal failures. It examines how the abuse of power, societal denial, and inadequate accountability put young girls at increased risk. It also calls for decisive reforms to prioritize student safety and dignity across all levels of education. Ghana’s Criminal and Other Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) criminalizes sexual harassment and assault, terming it as indecent assault in section 103. A person commits this offense if, without the consent of the other party, they forcibly make sexual bodily contact or violate the body of another person in a manner not amounting to carnal or unnatural carnal knowledge. However, enforcement within educational institutions is weak. Schools often respond with transfers, suspensions, or inaction rather than legal action, frequently prioritizing the institution’s image over the welfare of students. This enables predators to re-emerge in new classrooms under different titles. In a teacher-student relationship, consent cannot be genuine when one party wields academic and disciplinary authority over the other. Such a dynamic constitutes an abuse of authority that undermines the fundamental principles that education should uphold: safety, trust, and respect. Victims are often discouraged from reporting incidents; they may be accused of misunderstanding the teacher’s conduct or warned about jeopardizing someone's career. The courts themselves reflect how fragile justice can be. In the case of Republic v. John Kenneth Arthur (2023), a chemistry teacher at Aggrey Memorial SHS was charged with indecent assault after a student alleged that he fondled her breasts and inserted his fingers into her private parts. The court acquitted and discharged him on the grounds that the evidence was circumstantially so weak and based on hearsay. While this decision aligns with the principle of proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt, it showcases the systemic difficulties victims face. Sexual harassment often escapes punishment, not necessarily because the offense did not occur, but because victims struggle to meet the burden of proof, which is expected in a system centered around physical evidence and witnesses that rarely exist. The failure, however, extends beyond legal issues; it is fundamentally social. It lies in how society speaks or refuses to speak about harassment, in how victims are blamed and questioned about their behaviour and moral standards. For instance, public reactions to the KNUST SHS incident included jokes and attempts to rationalize harassment, often from those who should advocate for change. Perhaps the most striking reflection of this culture came from the President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Rev. Isaac Owusu, who stated on national television, “If you [male teachers] want to do the "thing", we have beautiful female teachers who are single.” This remark demonstrates a troubling misunderstanding surrounding sexual harassment, reducing a criminal issue to misplaced attraction. It implies that sexual misconduct results from unmet desires rather than violations of ethics, boundaries, and human dignity. When a national education leader treats sexual harassment as a mere issue of partner choice, suggesting female co-workers as new objects for male sexual attention, it trivializes the suffering of victims and reinforces impunity among perpetrators. The way forward requires structural change and accountability. The Ghana Education Service must establish independent complaint desks in every school, supported by counselors and legal assistance for victims. Teachers found guilty of harassment should face permanent disqualification from the profession. Schools should incorporate education on consent, gender respect, and professional ethics to prevent abuse before it occurs. As long as school systems lack independent reporting mechanisms and transparent sanctions, misconduct will continue unchecked. By: Emmanuella Kwatia