Nyinahin Catholic SHS incident: 11 CSOs petition NTC to investigate alleged teacher misconduct
Eleven Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have petitioned the National Teaching Council (NTC) to investigate what they describe as alleged professional misconduct arising from the recent confrontation between a teacher and a female student of Nyinahin Catholic Senior High School.
This comes after a viral video showed a 39-year-old teacher, Eric Buenortey Akpafio, in a physical confrontation with an 18-year-old Form Three female student on the school's campus.
The footage, which sparked widespread public outrage, captured the two exchanging blow and turning each other on the floor.
Following the circulation of the video, the Ashanti Regional Police Command arrested the 39-year-old teacher on June 8.
According to the police, preliminary investigations established that the suspect, who serves as a caretaker of the school's hostel, confronted the student and some male students over alleged misconduct at the hostel which eventually led to the fight.
In a petition dated June 15, the CSOs demanded a full professional inquiry into the conduct of the teacher involved in the incident.
"The incident, among others, raises serious concerns about professional conduct and public confidence in the teaching profession. These matters fall within the statutory mandate of the NTC as the body responsible for teacher licensing, professional regulation, standards enforcement and disciplinary accountability," the CSOs stated in part of the petition.
The organisations argued that the matter goes beyond the criminal proceedings and raises questions about teacher conduct, learner protection and safeguarding responsibilities within the education system.
The CSOs urged the NTC to investigate whether the teacher's actions breached professional standards and to assess his fitness to continue practising as a teacher.
They also called for appropriate sanctions if any professional misconduct is established.
"We respectfully request the National Teaching Council to investigate and determine professional misconduct through a full professional inquiry into the alleged conduct of the teacher, and determine whether it constitutes a breach of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020, the National Teachers' Standards, and any applicable professional or safeguarding obligations," the petition said.
The petition was jointly signed by ActionAid Ghana, Africa Education Watch, the Centre for Research and Development Alternatives (CREDA), Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), CDD-Ghana, Ghana Youth Manifesto Coalition, International Child Development Programme (ICDP), NORSAAC, Northern Regional Youth Network, School for Life and WiLDAF Ghana.