Be involved in school activities to tackle sexual abuses, moral decay …Fmr Dep Gender Minister tells PTAs

A former Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Freda Prempeh has suggested that Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) must be deeply rooted in basic and second cycle school activities. 

She said that could contribute partly to addressing the growing reported cases of girls’ sexual abuses and exploitations in schools. 

She emphasised that until the Ghana Education Service (GES) strengthened the PTAs and enforced its code of conducts, it would be difficult for the nation to tackle the menace, indiscipline, and moral decay in schools. 

Her concern followed the sexual abuse allegations involving female students and embattled headmaster of the Obuase Senior High and Technical School (SHTS), Mr Zakaria Abdulai and the GES has accordingly interdicted the headmaster as investigations continue. 

Dr Prempeh, also the founder of the Ultimate Women Foundation (UWF), a women and girls inclined Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) gave the advice in an interview with the GNA in Sunyani. 

She stressed the need for the GES to reform its educational policies to align with and address emerging educational challenges confronting the nation. 

The outspoken former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Constituency in the Ahafo Region, emphasised that PTAs played an integral role, not only towards improving quality, but ensuring the character formation of students and even teachers, saying that “We can’t neglect or sideline the PTAs if we want to address teacher-student indiscipline in our schools”. 

She said that the PTAs ought to be given an oversight responsibility of identifying and helping to tackle contemporary challenges confronting schools, like providing guidance and counselling to students. 

In a reaction, Dr Prempeh emphasised that abusing, harassing or exploiting girls sexually remained a worst form of human rights abuse that was inimical to the holistic growth and development of girls and women. 

She said under no circumstance should a teacher have sexual intercourse or unhealthy sexual practice with any school or out of schoolgirl, regardless of the sexual provocation, seduction and temptation. 

Dr Prempeh, a former minister of state under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s administration called on the GES and the relevant institutions to be expeditious in their investigation in the sex allegation for justice to be served.

She indicated that doing so and applying the GES code of conduct would provide safe havens for schoolgirls, and thereby make families more comfortable, as their girls pursue basic and senior high school education. –GNA

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