Gender Minister assures Obuasi SHTS students of safety as school reopens

The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has assured students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School of efforts to strengthen security, rebuild trust and improve access to counselling services.

The Minister gave the assurance during a visit to the school on October 26 to engage Management, students and families of students allegedly sexually assaulted by the school’s interdicted headmaster.

The school was temporarily shut down in August after students vandalised school property during protests linked to the allegations.

With academic activities gradually resuming, the Minister says measures are being pursued to ensure students feel safe and can study without fear or panic.

“Steps are being taken to build trust between students and teachers concerning safety and security,” Dr Naa Momo Lartey indicated.

The Minister said the Ministry was supporting existing structures within the Ghana Education Service (GES) to address safeguarding concerns and prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

"This is to ensure that past incidents do not reoccur. The system is designed to proactively monitor and address issues before they escalate out of hand", she said.

She stressed the importance of identifying and addressing problems early before they escalate, noting that the response must go beyond the immediate crisis to establish lasting protection for students.

The engagements also focused on long-term commitments, planned interventions and making counselling and other support services readily available to students who may need them.

The Gender Minister's visit, on which she was accompanied by the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Davies, was intended to assess conditions on the ground as students returned to campus and determine whether the environment was safe and conducive to learning.

Students appeared calm and reassured following the Minister’s visit, although sustained efforts will be required to maintain that atmosphere and address concerns surrounding their welfare.