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Be cautious of entrusting daughters to male teachers for private classes – UWR DVVSU
The Regional Commander of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Upper West Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police ((ASP) MrAdongo Apiiya has advised parents against entrusting their daughters to male teachers for private classes either at home or at the residence of the teacher.
He explained that such instances could potentially ignite negative thoughts on the part of either the student or pupil or the teacher and lead to amorous relationship between the two.
ASP Apiiya gave the advice at a meeting at Duong on Sexual and genger-based Violence (SGBV) under the auspices of the Department of Gender in the region with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The meeting on Tuesday brought together participants comprising students and workers from various communities around Duong in the Nadowli-Kaleo District to learn more about SGBV with regard to prevention and dealing with the trauma as victims.
He said that some men were quite cunning and could get attracted to children, regardless of their age and possibly defile or rape them.
“Before you realise, your daughter would be pregnant and she would have been used for biology practical by the teacher.”
“I am not in any way discouraging you from hiring private teachers for your wards but I am saying you should do so with caution; the teacher must come home when at least one parent in the house and the parent present should make it a point to regularly check on thechild to see how the studies are going”, he said.
ASP Apiiya stated that it was fatal to trust people, even those closer to the family and that the Unit had recorded defilement cases involving very young children with close relations and friends being the perpetrators.
“I am not saying we should suspect private teachers, I am only saying that you need to take precaution as a parent because some of them may not even force the children but would succeed in luring them to get into consensual relationships with them for sexual gain”, he warned.
He cautioned against allowing female students to visit male teachers at home in the name of being the teacher’s friend or favourite in class.
“It pays to be security conscious; if the teacher likes the child because she is respectful or studious, it should stay within the four walls of the school, he has no business sending the child to deliver books and other items to his home”, he said.
He called on parents to monitor their wards in school to ensure that they were not taken advantage of by unprincipled teachers and also encouraged the parents to educate their wards to report advances made towards them by teachers for prompt action to be taken.
For her part, the Director at the Department of Gender, Mrs Chairty Banye called on school girls to also avoid unnecessary socialization with teachers.
“These days, our children are not safe, even with teachers of the same sex because we cannot tell their sexual orientation so it becomes very delicate for school children out there and the onus lie on parents to keep their wards updated on these trends to help protect them”, she added.
From Lydia Darlington Forjdjour, Duong
Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Anloga in the Volta Region, has emphasised the importance of parental involvement in children’s education, stating that education is free, but parents need to do more to support their children.
She said parents, teachers, and students must be involved in addressing the challenges facing the district’s education sector, particularly the poor Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.
Madam Kpedor outlined some key roles parents should play to promote their children’s education, including providing a conducive learning environment, monitoring their children’s progress, and supporting teachers.
The DCE highlighted some challenges the district faced such as inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, which have also contributed to the poor BECE results and called on well-to-do parent to help solve the situation through and other supports.
To address the issues, she also announced that plans have been taken to utilise the district’s common fund to implement educational projects, such as constructing school blocks and teachers’ bungalows at Sodzi community, and 2-unit classroom blocks each at Akplorwutorkor and Tegbi-Afedome respectively, among others.
Madam Kpedor also noted that her office had earlier notified the Ministry of Education to deploy more teachers to the area to improve teaching and learning, and encouraged students to work hard and strive for excellence, and work beyond their limit to succeed.
“To my wonderful and beautiful girls, you have to know it clear that women and girls have equal opportunities to compete with men for greater achievements,” she indicated.
The DCE cited her own achievement as a testament to the fact that women can excel in leadership positions, alongside Vice President Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and stressed that girls were no longer limited to domestic roles but can pursue their dreams and become leaders.
Additionally, she mentioned that a meeting was held earlier with assembly members, and other stakeholders to address the district’s educational challenges and improve academic performance.
She promised that the district’s education oversight committee and stakeholders would work together to address the challenges and improve the district’s BECE results and called for parental involvement and support to boost the district’s education sector for children to chase their dreams to become future leaders for the success of the district and the nation.
She urged parents not to leave everything to the government but rather help in the provision of some necessary materials such as textbooks, exercise books, pens, pencils, food, and guidance to children for the successes of young learners. –GNA
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The spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has criticised the implementation of the NDC government’s No Fee Stress policy, arguing that the programme has failed to deliver on its core promise.
According to him on Starr fm, the policy, which was introduced to ensure stress free payment of fees for level 100 tertiary students, has rather turned into what he described as post stress support.
He explained that students are required to pay their fees first before applying for reimbursement, a situation he believes defeats the purpose of the policy.
He questioned claims by government officials that the policy has been successful and that citizens are happy.
In his view, such claims do not reflect the lived realities of many Ghanaians. He stressed that while some people may appear satisfied, many others continue to struggle.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye pointed to the situation of trained teachers and nurses who have been picketing for nearly six months, demanding employment.
He noted that government responses suggesting it cannot accommodate all of them contradict claims of economic stability.
He further argued that economic indicators such as a stable currency mean little to people who are unable to secure jobs or access promised support.
He observed that telling an unemployed teacher or a struggling student that the cedi has strengthened does not address their immediate challenges.
On the issue of tertiary education, he maintained that no level 100 student benefited from stress free fees in 2025, despite the policy being announced.
He added that in 2026, students have already reported to school without receiving the promised support.
He insisted that asking students to pay fees first and seek reimbursement later amounts to support after hardship, not stress free education.
According to him, this approach goes against what was promised during the policy announcement.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye questioned why a government that presents the economy as strong is unable to fulfil what he described as simple and clear promises.
He added that there is a fundamental problem with the way the economy is being managed and indicated that he is prepared to explain his position further.
By: Jacob Aggrey
