News
‘Conduct background checks on people recruited as teachers’
The Head of School at Hilltop Internationally British School (HIBS), Mr Patrick Kwasi Essiam, has called for changes in the manner school teachers are recruited, mooting the idea that more background checks should be conducted to know the people in whose hands children are entrusted.
According to him, if the current way of recruiting teachers were not changed, “we may end up recruiting teachers with very good certificates with very bad characters. With such teachers in the system, it will be difficult to end some of the negative incidences recorded in educational institutions.”
He gave the advice when he addressed students and parents at the school’s 12th graduation ceremony of the school on Saturday, June 27.
It was under the theme: ‘A New Phase Begins: Shaping Tomorrow with Cambridge Excellence.’
The call comes on the wake of cases of sexual misconducts recorded at some schools which has heightened calls for safeguarding of children in schools.
In June 2026, a teacher at Bole Senior High School in the Savannah Region was interdicted after a disturbing video surfaced online allegedly showing misconduct with a female student.
In October 2025, at Okadjakrom Senior High Technical School, students secretly filmed a teacher engaged in inappropriate acts with a female student in his office.
Similar cases across several schools have sparked public outrage, with many calling for a disciplinary action, and a renewed debate about accountability in classrooms.
Mr Essiam said government must legislate a mandatory background check on individuals shortlisted for recruitment — including criminal record, psychological fitness assessments, and teaching aptitude tests.
According to him, the system must not trust only certificate holders, saying that; “We must check extensively to know the real character of the person we are engaging to take care of children. A university certificate should not be the only reference.”
“We are now having many people who are not fit to be teachers in the classroom — all because of failure to thoroughly check their background.”
He cautioned that if the system was not monitored properly, Ghana risks filling classrooms with ‘imposters’.
The ceremony at the Daban campus saw 73 students graduate across four streams. Fourteen pupils advanced from Cambridge Primary to lower secondary after Checkpoint exams, 23 moved from Year 9 into upper secondary, 18 completed the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and progressed to Advanced Level, while another 18 finished the Ghana Education Service (GES) Senior High School stream, having written the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Proprietress, Mrs Cecilia Agyei- Amoako, traced the institution’s journey from the founding Hilltop Platinum School 30 years ago, through the Cambridge-focused HIBS established 14 years ago, to the addition of a GES Senior High School four years ago. She dismissed rumours about fees, stressing that: “School fees are paid in local currency.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
Medical Doctor and dietician, Dr Bernice Korkor Asare, has urged women to take greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices, particularly their eating habits and levels of physical activity, to help reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
According to her, although, some breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and certain reproductive factors, may not be within an individual’s control, lifestyle choices offer an opportunity for people to take preventive action.
She made this known during a talk on the topic: “Role of diet in breast cancer prevention” organised by Times Ladies Association of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, in Accra on Thursday.
The event themed “Breast Cancer Awareness- Promoting Early Detection, Healthy Eating and Prevention.” 
She noted that having a risk factor did not automatically mean a person would develop breast cancer, but could increase the likelihood of developing the disease compared with someone without that particular risk factor.
“Having close relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly a mother, sister or daughter, may increase the risk, although not everyone with a family history will develop the disease,” Dr Asare opined. Read More.
By Adizatu K. Munkaila
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
Read Daily News
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Buy Maps
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
A group of compassionate friends from Innovation Gospel Impact last Friday visited the management, teachers and learners of the Street Academy in Accra.
The visit was to interact to get a deeper insight into the operations of the Academy that houses hundreds of street and underprivileged children and find ways to support them.
The team was led by Rev. Dr Isaac Apenteng Yeboah, a former Director for West African Mailbox Club and Director for Prisons Support Foundation, and Rev. Dale Sutherland from Washington DC.
The call, according to the visitors was occasioned by reports about the struggles of the Academy despite the occasional support it enjoys from individuals and some corporate entities.
Briefing them, the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, Dr Ataa Lartey, thanked them for the concern showed, indicating that “this is a major boost for both teachers and learners; knowing that their plight is known by people outside their premises.”
According Dr Lartey, the Academy had planned to undertake a number of project to enhance teaching and learning and also procure facilities for the children with keen interest in sports but had to shelve those plans for lack of finance.
He told the team that their biggest concerns were the monthly utility bills that takes a toll on their finances.
“We have a piece of land we planned to turn into an astro turf pitch to train the younger ones whose interests lies in making a career out of football, however, we have been unable to commence because there is no money now,” he said.
Dr Lartey expressed gratitude to the teachers who have dedicated their lives to training these children, rather than going for well-paying jobs and hoped that with time, their conditions of engagement would improve.
Moved by the plight of the Academy, the group donated a cash amount of Gh₵3,000 to settle its water bills.
They described as unfortunate the conditions of learners and teachers of the Academy and pledged to continuously support their operations to realize the dream to build a better future for the unfortunate children.
The group offered to support the school with its monthly utility bills, feeding and staff allowance and urged the Academy staff to remain in constant touch with them.
The Street Academy is located at the Accra Art Center and offers brilliant but needy the chance to pursue their educational dreams by enrolling them in public schools with others offered training in sports and cultural activities.
By Spectator Reporter
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
