ACCRA — A 42-year-old English teacher at Accra High School has been suspended after an eyewitness reported catching him in a locked toilet cubicle with a 16-year-old female student during school hours on Monday, authorities have confirmed.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:20 AM when the school’s Senior House Mistress, Madam Efua Mensah, received an anonymous tip from a student about “unusual noises” coming from the female washroom adjacent to the Science Block. What The Video
According to an incident report obtained by Daily Graphic, the House Mistress knocked and identified herself. After a 45-second delay, the door opened to reveal the teacher adjusting his trousers and the student straightening her crumpled uniform skirt. Crumpled tissues were observed on the cubicle floor, the report stated.
The teacher and student were separated immediately, with the girl escorted to the sick bay for welfare checks. Parents were contacted, and the matter was reported to the Accra Central office of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU).
The teacher has been interdicted pending a full disciplinary hearing by the Ghana Education Service (GES).
When questioned, the teacher reportedly claimed the encounter was “consensual” and alleged the student “initiated it.
However, GES officials have dismissed this defense. Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), a person under 16 cannot legally consent to sexual activity. The student is 16 , but legal experts note that teachers are in positions of authority, making any such relationship a gross abuse of power regardless of age.
Daniel Fenyi, GES Public Relations Head, reiterated the Service’s zero-tolerance stance on teacher-student sexual misconduct.
Teachers occupy positions of authority, mentorship, and trust. There is no such thing as a ‘consensual’ affair between a teacher and a student. Any such behavior is classified as gross misconduct.
He added that the teacher faces possible dismissal and revocation of his teaching license by the National Teaching Council.
The 16-year-old student, whose name is being withheld to protect her identity, is reportedly receiving psychosocial counselling. School authorities have arranged alternative class placement to ensure she does not encounter the teacher pending the investigation.
We don’t really have a clear safeguarding policy within our school system. Transferring offending teachers simply shifts the problem elsewhere.
The teacher remains in DOVVSU custody as investigations continue. If the student is found to be under 16 at the time of the incident.