The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Jacob Anaba, has accused the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of delaying action over alleged abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), despite claims that party officials were aware of the matter before it became a national controversy.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Top Story on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Mr Anaba described the party’s decision to direct the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, to step aside from the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship race as “very, very late”.
He argued that the party should have intervened when the allegations first emerged rather than waiting until the matter attracted widespread public attention.
Mr Anaba referred to details he said were contained in an investigative video by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which allegedly showed that the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) had visited the school at night to collect a female student who was reportedly assaulted.
He further claimed that the housemistress had invited the student, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident.
“So, the NDC was aware of the actions of this man in the school. So, they should have taken immediate steps to stop this thing when it started happening,” he said.
Mr Anaba accused the party of responding only after the allegations had become a major public issue, particularly after the headmaster filed to contest the constituency chairmanship position.
“We cannot allow people like this to be in charge of our kids in our school. The school must be safe for all of our kids, boys and girls,” he added.
NAGRAT Raises Concerns Over Transfers of 38 Teachers
Beyond the allegations of abuse, the NAGRAT president claimed that 38 teachers at Obuasi SHTS, including a teacher who reported the concerns, had been targeted for transfer by the district director following events that led to the school’s closure in August.
According to Mr Anaba, students were sent home on August 4, after which a committee was established to investigate the matter.
He said the committee concluded its investigations after a few weeks and exonerated the headmaster.
Mr Anaba further alleged that the assistant headmaster subsequently informed teachers that the district director had directed their transfers.
“One of them is the focal person in the school who actually picked up this issue and made a report,” he said.
He maintained that the teachers remained at post while the issues were being investigated.
The NAGRAT president also said some students had confided in teachers they trusted about their experiences, while others had submitted letters to the district director, regional director and housemistress.
His comments have added to calls for accountability in the handling of the allegations and stronger measures to protect students and teachers who report suspected abuse in schools.
Obuasi SHTS Abuse Allegations Under Investigation
The Obuasi SHTS case has sparked national concern, with 16 students reportedly alleging abuse involving the school’s headmaster.
In response to the controversy, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education and the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education to step aside pending investigations.
The headmaster remains interdicted, while the Ministry of Education has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to investigate the allegations.
The NDC has also directed Mr Abdulai to step aside from the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship race while investigations into the matter continue.
The allegations of prior knowledge, abuse and the purported targeting of teachers for transfer have not been independently established in the information available.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
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