Prof. Ransford Gyampo
A
BBC Africa’s documentary exposing how lecturers across top universities in West
Africa demand sex from their students to offer them undeserved good grades has
sparked outrage.
Names
of lecturers involved in the act, particularly male lecturers, have begun to
pop up.
BBC
under its Africa Eye project aimed at exposing wrongdoings in public
institutions is scheduled to air the documentary that could lead to dismissals
of lecturers involved if proven.
Gyampo Links
The
BBC documentary appears to capture top University of Ghana Lecturer, Prof. Ransford
Gyampo, a social commentator, in the scandal but he has already said he was
entrapped.
According
to the BBC, Prof. Gyampo, who is currently the Head of European Studies at UG,
made “numerous inappropriate demands” from a ‘student’ he had agreed to mentor.
He
is captured allegedly requesting to marry one of the BBC undercover journalists
who had posed as a student.
Prof.
Gyampo has said he is innocent and is threatening to sue the BBC for bringing
his hard won reputation into disrepute.
Another Episode
In
another episode in the documentary titled: “Sex For Grades”, another UG
lecturer was caught on camera pleading for sex with an undercover reporter who
pretended as a student.
The
name of that lecturer has been given as Dr. Paul Kwame Butakor, who is at the
College of Education, University of Ghana (UG).
In
the BBC Africa Eye undercover documentary, Dr. Butakor is heard begging the
lady to be her ‘side guy’.
An
undercover BBC journalist had posed as a final year student of the School of
Education and Leadership, University of Ghana, and approached Dr. Butakor about
her desire to pursue Master’s Degree after her Bachelor’s Degree.
The
lecturer appealed to the lady on several occasions, begging “let me be your
side boy, side guy… men have side chicks…I will not give you trouble…seriously
I will not give you trouble…I will not give you trouble…I will not be a
distraction to your life…let me be your side guy…”
He
went to reveal to the ‘student’ that he is a married man and that his wife is
not in Ghana.
He
then told her again that he would like to be by the side of the student or vice
versa.
He
said “maybe you’ll be my side and I’ll also be your side because me, I’m married…my
wife is not in the country though…my wife is out of the country.”
According
to the documentary, after meeting him for the second time in his office, Dr. Butakor
told her how beautiful she was looking and inquired whether any guy on campus
had ever said so.
“You
look muwaah…how many guys have told you? You are beautiful today” he said.
Dr.
Butakor, after his meeting with the final year student, offered a National
Service work placement in his department even though the deadline for National
Service application had passed.
He
had assured her that there would be no interruptions and being in his office
would help her focus on her career, saying “no distractions, your focus should
be on your career…then the side will see how best he can also contribute to your
career and make you to become a better person.”
According
to the BBC, Dr. Butakor has denied having any sexual relationship with the
lady, saying he follows all university sexual harassment and misconduct rules.
The
BBC said the UG had told them that it considers the allegations to be ‘extremely
disturbing’.
It said the university also said it has a proactive policy on sexual harassment and is committed to uprooting the problem.
BY Melvin Tarlue
