[ 2012-09-11 ]

Shama JHS Headteacher, 14 others transferred for harassing school girls
Opinion leaders of Komfeuku, a farming community
in the Shama District of the Western Region are
protesting against the decision of the Ghana
Education Service (GES) to transfer 14 teachers
from the community's only school following a sex
scandal involving only two teachers.

The Education Directorate prior to the transfer
did not make immediate arrangement to replace the
teachers leaving the pupils with no teachers. The
Komfeuku D/A Junior High School attached to a
primary block is the only school that serves the
community of about 4000 people.

The school like many others in the District has
often not performed creditably in the Basic
Education Certificate Examination (BECE). However
candidates presented for the last BECE improved
the school's performance, an indication that
perhaps the teachers who have now been transferred
were doing a good job.

The mass transfer of both male and female
teachers, according to the Shama Education
Directorate was as a result of pressure from some
opinion leaders, the sex scandal involving one
Abubakar Mazu, a teacher who has since been
sacked, and allegations of sexual harassment of
school girls by the now transferred Headmaster
Francis Abodan Mensah.

However some of the teachers, who spoke to me on
the grounds of anonymity, said the move was only
to save the face of the headmaster. They expressed
concern about the performance of the students
which they said was picking up gradually, and the
situation could become with entirely new
teachers.

The Assemblyman for Komfeuku Percy Ahinakwah told
Maxx News the mass transfer was orchestrated by
the headteacher in cahoots with the District
Education Director, Florence, explaining that the
community had only requested the transfer of the
headteacher and another teacher due to their
continuous harassment of girls which forced some
girls to stop schooling.

He says the action is an attempt by the
headteacher supported by the District Education
Director to punish the community because the
opinion leaders have constantly complained about
the behaviour of the headteacher and that
particular teacher. He added that the blatant
refusal of the Education Director to grant
audience to him and other opinion leaders of the
community, who attempted to seek explanations from
her, clearly shows her complicity which has given
leeway to the Headteacher's actions.

During a visit to the school some JHS three
students who were seen idling about appealed to
authorities to post teachers there immediately
since they were feverishly preparing for their
final exams. Some of the students also
corroborated the cases of sexual harassments by
the Headteacher and another teacher in the
school.

The transferred Headmaster, Francis Abodan Mensah,
also the Assemblyman for the Assorku Electoral
Area in the Shama district, is reported to have
been rejected at his new school in his electoral
area apparently because of his attitude. One of
the headteachers' old students at Assorku, where
he once taught told Maxx News Mr. Abodan Mensah
was in the habit of harassing school girls.

“The headmaster is a bad man so if you are not
very careful he will sleep with you. When we were
in school, he use to teach sports as well and
anytime we went for training he will be spying at
our thighs and then ask you to meet him in some
corner. If you were not smart, he will have sex
with you. That's has been his attitude. If you
laugh with him and all that, he will just take
advantage of it to demand sex from you” the girl
narrated.

The Western Regional Director of Education Nii
Lantey Cleland says efforts are being made to
transfer new teachers to the school with a new
headmaster already at post. He was however
unwilling to pursue the allegations of sexual
harassment against the headteacher claiming that
in most cases, such allegations are not proven,
citing instances where some accused teachers have
battled the Ghana Education Service (GES) in court
over punitive actions taken against them.

Source - MyjoyOnline

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