Deputy Education Minister Dr Clement Apaak has criticised authorities at Bolgatanga Girls’ Senior High School (BOGISS) over what he describes as the poor handling of an alleged sexual assault case involving a 14-year-old student with special needs.
Dr Apaak said the school and education authorities should have acted swiftly and decisively when the matter was first reported instead of waiting for it to attract public attention before taking action.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, he questioned the response of the school’s headmistress, the Municipal Director of Education and the Regional Director of Education, saying they had a responsibility to address the matter much earlier.
“Our understanding is that the parents clearly rejected the letter and its content. They do not agree with what the school is supposed to have assigned as the award and the consequential actions that the school had initiated. And we agree with them because, you know, we are promoting inclusive education,” he said.
The comments follow a disciplinary decision concerning the student, who is alleged to have been sexually assaulted by two security personnel.
A letter issued by the school indicated that dismissal would ordinarily have been the appropriate sanction. However, the punishment was reportedly reduced to deboarding because of the student’s medical condition.
Dr Apaak said the government disagrees with that approach, arguing that the student’s medical condition should not be used to justify what he considers an inappropriate disciplinary response.
He said the decision was also inconsistent with the government’s efforts to promote special needs and inclusive education, stressing that students with disabilities or medical conditions must be adequately protected and supported within schools.
Dr Apaak assured the public that the Education Ministry is taking the matter seriously. He said Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu had tasked him with following up on the issue as part of his official responsibilities.
He said the Ministry would engage the relevant authorities to establish what happened and determine how the case was handled.
Dr Apaak maintained that the response by the school and education authorities was “badly and poorly handled.”
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