GES to ban teachers from sending students to bungalows for chores following Obuasi SHTS scandal

The Ghana Education Service (GES) is set to intensify efforts to protect students in boarding schools by enforcing existing regulations prohibiting teachers from assigning students household chores at their private residences.

GES Director-General Professor Ernest Kofi Davis said the service would formally instruct regional directors to ensure that teachers comply with the rules barring them from inviting students to their bungalows to perform domestic tasks.

The planned enforcement follows allegations of sexual abuse involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai, who is accused of raping 19 students. The allegations have sparked public concern about student safety and the boundaries of teacher-student relationships in boarding institutions.

Professor Davis condemned the practice of teachers sending students to their private residences for domestic duties, describing it as a violation of the GES code of conduct.

He specifically cited Section 3.7 (V) of the code, which states that students should not be asked to undertake household chores for teachers.

“I agree with those calling for a ban on students going to teachers’ bungalows. We are going to write to schools to make sure that it doesn’t happen because in our code of conduct, in Section 3.7 (V), it is written that the students are not expected to be asked to engage in household chores,” he said.

The Director-General added that formal instructions would be sent to all regional directors to remind school authorities and teaching staff of their professional obligations and ensure strict compliance with the existing rules.

Professor Davis said the directive would reinforce the need for teachers to familiarise themselves with the code of conduct and refrain from inviting students to their living quarters for domestic work.

“And so I expect the news to get to all regional directors to remind our staff to familiarize themselves with the code of conduct and cease inviting students to do household chores because the code of conduct does not permit that. It is not acceptable,” he emphasised.

The planned communication is intended to ensure that the regulations are understood and consistently enforced across schools nationwide.

The move comes amid renewed public attention to safeguarding students in second-cycle institutions following the allegations at Obuasi SHTS.

The controversy has raised concerns about situations in which students may be placed in vulnerable positions through informal interactions with teachers outside normal school activities.

By reinforcing the existing prohibition on domestic chores at teachers’ residences, the GES aims to strengthen professional boundaries and support efforts to protect students from potential abuse.

The service’s planned directive will place responsibility on regional directors and school authorities to remind staff of the rules and ensure that students are not assigned household duties at teachers’ private residences.