What began as idle student gossip at the Nkenkenso Senior High School in Offinso-North of the Ashanti region has erupted into a scandal that has shaken the institution, drawing a stern gaze of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

At the centre of the storm is Mr Akwasi Opoku—known to students as ‘Striker’—the Senior Housemaster now suspended after allegedly invoking a curse on three school boys under his care.

It all started with whispers. The students had reportedly linked Mr Opoku to the tragic death of a teacher who died in a motor accident following an alleged altercation. When the rumours reached him, the confrontation that followed was anything but ordinary. In a moment that stunned the school community, Mr Opoku was said to have pronounced a curse on the boys.

The story took an even darker turn when his mother, reputed to be a chief priestess, allegedly performed rituals tied to the curse. To undo it, the students were initially asked to pay GH¢1,000 each. But later they offered six fowls, one guinea fowl, three bottles of Schnapps and GH¢500 each before the curse was said to be overturned.

For households already struggling, the financial burden was crushing; for the students, the emotional toll was far worse. Fear replaced youthful confidence, and the classroom became a place of dread.

Attempts by the Headmaster and the District Director of Education to quietly resolve the matter failed until the GES stepped in. On February 24, the GES issued a statement condemning Mr Opoku’s actions which it described as “unprofessional and damaging to the reputation of both the school and the GES.”

He has since been suspended, directed to hand over all school property and documents to the Assistant Headmaster while investigations continue.

The incident has sparked outrage and soul-searching as parents consider the safety of their children in the hands of those entrusted with their welfare.

For now, the students at Nkenkenso Senior High School walk their campus with a mix of relief and lingering fear; relief that the curse has been lifted and fear that authority could be wielded in ways that leave them vulnerable.

The GES investigation will determine Mr Opoku’s fate, but the case has already become a mirror reflecting broader concerns: professionalism in education, accountability in leadership, and the fragile trust between educators and the young lives they shape.

As one parent put it, “We bring our children here to learn, not to live in fear of curses.”

When the Headmaster of the School, Kwaku Djan-Asante, was contacted on phone, he would not give details, saying the “case is now being handled by the GES.”

The chairman of the Parents Teacher Association (PTA), Mr Thomas Addicossi Dieudonne, confirmed to The Spectator and insisted that, “We have taken a strong decision that we don’t want Mr Opoku in the school any more.”

“Even though the GES is yet to determine the case, this is our position,” he added.

From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi