The Ministry of Education has urged the Ghana Police Service to, as a matter of urgency, locate and arrest the interdicted Bole Senior High School teacher, who remains at large weeks after a nationwide search was announced.
It said the ministry was deeply concerned that the suspect was yet to be arrested, despite the seriousness of his misconduct and the public interest at stake.
“We have taken note of reports suggesting that the fugitive teacher recently granted an interview in which he claimed his conduct was unintentional. Indeed, the emergence of a statement attributed to him, asking for a transfer to a village school, should be enough of a clue for the police to track him down.
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Efforts
“We, therefore, believe that with intensified efforts, including digital tracking and contacting the source, which reported his flimsy excuse, could prove useful in locating him,” it said in a statement signed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak.
The statement said the ministry was determined to see the erring teacher urgently arrested because available information indicated that, contrary to what he claimed in his recent interview, his unprofessional conduct was deliberate.
In fact, “we have seen other videos of the same teacher engaged in similar inappropriate behaviour with other girls we believe are also students. Based on what we know so far, we believe that the now disgraced and interdicted teacher used his privileged position as a teacher to exploit vulnerable female students”
Incident
It said the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, had accurately described the incident at the Bole Senior High School as unacceptable, shameful and inconsistent with the values and standards expected of members of the teaching profession.
“It will be a disappointment if the Ghana Police Service, in whom we have so much confidence, is unable to track him down, knowing its impressive abilities and enviable record in grabbing perpetrators of crimes,” it said, adding that “We also urge members of the public, who may have information about the whereabouts of the Bole SHS teacher, to contact the police or the Ministry of Education”.
Concern
The ministry reiterated its concern about the rising cases of indiscipline among teachers, heads and students across educational institutions in the country.
Those incidents, it said, undermined teaching and learning, weakened public confidence in schools and threaten efforts to build safe and disciplined learning environments.
“The Minister of Education has empowered and directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to take firm and decisive action against all forms of misconduct in our pre-tertiary institutions.
Acts that fall below acceptable standards of professional and student conduct will attract appropriate sanctions in accordance with existing laws and regulations,” it said.
It reiterated that discipline remained a cornerstone of quality education and that there must be clear consequences for actions that violate established rules and ethical standards.
The statement said the Ministry of Education will soon convene a national dialogue on tackling growing indiscipline in our schools.
The dialogue will bring together key stakeholders to deliberate on practical and sustainable measures to address indiscipline in Ghana’s educational institutions.
