GES recommends reposting Obuasi SHTS headmaster, staff over campus riot

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has recommended the reposting of the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Abdulai Zakaria, and other staff implicated in the August 5, 2026 campus riot, in a move aimed at restoring peace at the institution.

The recommendation follows a violent confrontation in which some students allegedly assaulted the headmaster, injured him and vandalised property at his bungalow.

The GES Deputy Director-General in charge of Quality and Access, Dr Issahaque Munawaru, said the recommendation was contained in a committee report submitted to the service’s headquarters.

Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Joy FM on Thursday, October 15, 2026, monitored by Graphic Online, Dr Munawaru said the committee had proposed that the headmaster and other staff be “reposted to other institutions or duty stations in the interest of the service”.

He said the recommendation was based on the circumstances surrounding the disturbance and concerns about security at the school.

The headmaster has also been suspended by the GES, following a directive from the Ministry of Education, over separate allegations that he sexually abused some female students. The suspension will remain in place pending a full-scale investigation into the claims, which emerged in a documentary featuring accounts from some alleged victims.

How the August 5 riot unfolded

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, August 5, 2026, when some students allegedly confronted and physically attacked Zakaria over claims that he was involved in ritual activities on campus.

The confrontation reportedly began after a student claimed to have seen the headmaster’s vehicle near the school’s refuse dump and raised an alarm, drawing other students to the scene.

The students allegedly claimed they had discovered a freshly buried baby at the location before confronting and assaulting the headmaster.

Zakaria sustained multiple injuries and was admitted to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi for medical treatment.

Six students suspected of playing various roles in the incident were arrested by the police.

The unrest also extended to the headmaster’s bungalow, where students allegedly destroyed household property, including a Toyota Rav4 with registration number AC 127-23.

Police intervention was required to restore order and prevent the confrontation from escalating, although some students reportedly continued to vandalise property at the school and the headmaster’s residence.

Committee recommends disciplinary action

Dr Munawaru said GES officials visited the school after the incident and met with the Municipal Chief Executive and the police command, who informed them that investigations were underway.

He explained that the service referred the professional and administrative aspects of the matter to a committee, while the police handled the criminal investigation.

According to him, the committee’s report reached GES headquarters the previous week, after which the Director-General assigned officials to review its findings.

The report contains approximately 27 or 28 recommendations, including measures to address the conduct of staff and students implicated in the disturbance.

The first recommendation called for teachers, non-teaching staff and students whose names emerged during the investigation, and whose conduct raised reasonable suspicion or concern, to be referred to the appropriate disciplinary authorities.

The committee also recommended the dissolution of all informal student groupings and associations.

Under Recommendation 24, it proposed strengthening the channels available for reporting sexual harassment, including training designated staff to receive and handle complaints confidentially and promptly in accordance with GES safeguarding policies.

GES warns of dismissal over sexual misconduct

Addressing the separate sexual abuse allegations against the headmaster, Dr Munawaru said he had not seen explicit findings of culpability in the portions of the committee’s report he had reviewed.

He, however, cautioned that this did not necessarily mean the report contained no such findings, explaining that GES headquarters had the authority to vary a regional committee’s findings where there were grounds to do so.

Dr Munawaru made the service’s position on proven sexual misconduct clear, saying, “Once we establish culpability, it's dismissal.”

He explained that termination allowed an officer to leave with some benefits, whereas dismissal brought the person’s service to an outright end.

The deputy director-general also disclosed that the GES Council had approved about 15 dismissals in October 2026 in sexual harassment cases dating back to 2021.

He said the timing for completing the review of the Obuasi SHTS report would depend on instructions from the Director-General.