Let’s Lift The Lid Off Sexual Exploitation In Our Senior High Schools

One hazy, dusty morning in a senior high school, the conversation suddenly turned on the girls in the said senior high school. Three male teachers were involved in the conversation with the rest, also male teachers, being attentive listeners.

First Teacher : These girls are really spoiled ooo. They are bad paaa! When you go to teach them they will be seducing you…especially the form twos and form threes. But I don’t know why. You’ve come here to study and you are busy seducing masters. Competing over masters…

Second Teacher: Yes, that’s how they are. You see when they get to form three, their skirts become shorter…and their shirts tighten them. You can easily get into trouble ooo. And if you do, they will blame you. They don’t know how the girls are killing us here.

Third Teacher: The girls are already finished. We are not the people to spoil them ooo. They are already rotten. You will just be helping them…We are helpless. They already know what we don’t even know…

From the above conversation, three deductions are impossible to avoid: Firstly, they assert that the girls are already ‘spoiled’, which means they are already into romantic relationships, which somewhat implies that they are already promiscuous. Ordinarily, a girl in one faithful relationship doesn’t easily qualify as ‘spoiled’. Secondly, they maintain that the girls are competing to have amorous relationships with them and they are somewhat excited about such a development. Thirdly, they imply that they are very much willing to enter into liaisons with the girls because they are “helpless”.

Little wonder that in the said school, rumours and true stories about teachers having sexual escapades with female students abound. And from an investigation that has been conducted, sexual relationship between male teachers and female students is normal practice in many, very many senior high schools. Sexual exploitation of these students entrusted in the care of these randy teachers is rife. And many parents--especially those who abandon their parenting roles once their children are in senior high schools-are completely unaware of it. Offending teachers are often shielded by school authorities.

Something urgent needs to be done. Apart from the powers that be making the punishment for such an offence tougher, every decent Ghanaian must resolve to expose such exploitation. We must have more accomplished women ‘storming’ various campuses to educate the girls on the exploitative nature of such relationship. PTA’s must focus more on fighting it…Everyone ought to play their role. Let’s together lift the lid off this exploitation so these ladies can pursue their education unhindered.

There are just so many shameless teachers!