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28.11.2014 General News

Teachers punished for subjecting student to vaginal search

By Myjoyonline
Teachers punished for subjecting student to vaginal search
28.11.2014 LISTEN

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has demoted two teachers for subjecting a female student, who they accused of being pregnant, to a vaginal search.

The former headmaster, Kwasi Kumah, and a female teacher of Okaikrom D/A JHS in the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region, were taught a harsh lesson by their superiors for abusing the female student.

Mr. Kumah and the female teacher, identified only as Charity, had suspected the student of being pregnant.

Speaking to LUV Fm's Prince Appiah, the girl, whose name has been withheld, explained that she had been in school when she felt signs of menstruation and returned home with a friend to put herself in order.

On their return to class, however, the class teacher subjected both girls to four lashes each for leaving the school without permission.

Later on, she says, Kumah showed up in class to give them a further 14 lashes each, for the same offense.

The poor girl's humiliation was not to end there, however.

The headmaster singled her out, accused her of being promiscuous and of being pregnant, claiming that her breasts and belly had grown larger.

This, she said, resulted in an uproar from her fellow students.  

Although the girl informed him that she was not pregnant and that she had just begun her period, the headmaster ordered her to his office, whereupon he instructed three female teachers to examine her through vaginal search.

According to the victim, two of the female teachers refused to obey the instruction but the third obliged, forcing the girl to strip naked and performing the invasive search in the presence of the headmaster, despite the obvious visual signs of menstruation.

Upon confirming that the girl spoke the truth, they let her go but the young girl insists she is humiliated by the incident and that the ensuing ridicule from her fellow students, both in and outside of school, forced her to drop out.

The District Director of Education, Nana Otu Acheampong has since led a delegation to offer a formal apology to the victim and her parents.

He reported that those responsible had been punished for their actions.

“I saw that the head behaved unprofessionally and have demoted him” he said. Nana Acheampong went on to explain that the female teacher has been transferred to a remote primary school where she will not have access to adolescents to abuse in such a manner.  

He expressed hope that the disciplinary action will deter other teachers from abusing their authority.

The girl, in a bid to avoid the teasing from her schoolmates, has been enrolled at a nearby private school at an extra expense to her parents.

 

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