The Ghana Education Service (GES) has dismissed ten teachers and terminated the appointment of another over sexual misconduct, as concerns grow over the protection of students in schools across the country.

GES Director-General, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, said the Service takes allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and imposes appropriate sanctions on staff found culpable after investigations.

He reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to holding teachers accountable for abusing their positions of trust and breaching professional standards.

The disclosure comes amid public outrage over allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students at Obuasi Senior High Technical School in the Ashanti Region.

The school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, has been interdicted pending investigations into the allegations. The Ministry of Education has also referred the matter to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service for further investigation.

In a related development, the GES has directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education and the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education to step aside while investigations into the case continue.

The directive is intended to prevent any potential interference, or the perception of interference, in the investigative process.

The developments have renewed concerns about how allegations of sexual abuse are handled in schools and the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for protecting students.

Child protection advocates have consistently called for stronger safeguarding measures, improved supervision of teachers and greater accountability among school administrators. They have also stressed the need to ensure that students can report abuse without fear of intimidation, victimisation or retaliation.

The latest disciplinary figures are expected to fuel further debate about efforts to address sexual misconduct within the education sector, as parents and guardians demand stronger assurances about the safety of children entrusted to schools.

The GES has maintained that staff found to have violated professional standards will face appropriate disciplinary action, while investigations into the Obuasi case are expected to establish the facts and guide any further decisions.