Teachers involved in sexual misconduct will lose their jobs– GES

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has stated that it will not continue to employ the teachers found guilty of sexual misconduct, stressing that such behaviour is incompatible with the professional and moral standards expected of educators.

Speaking on The Pulse on JoyNews, the Head of Public Relations at GES, Daniel Fenyi, said any teacher implicated in such acts would be dismissed if found culpable.

"When you are found culpable in such situation, the first thing is that GES cannot work with you because for somebody who doesn't have moral standard, for somebody who is supposed to be a parent, a mentor to the young learners, if you cannot discharge your duty in that professional manner then we cannot obviously work with you and so the first reaction is that, you will loose your job."

Mr. Fenyi added that cases involving minors are treated with even greater seriousness, noting that the law does not recognise consent in sexual acts involving individuals under the legal age.

"When investigations reveal that the students involved or the victim involved is a minor, then that is where the matter even becomes more complicated because when it comes to minors, whether they give you consent or they didn't give you, once they are minors, the law didn't allow that."

Two separate incidents have triggered public concern. In the Oti Region, a teacher at Okadjakrom Senior High Technical School, Mr. Mfo Richard Tibetor, has been interdicted pending the outcome of an investigation. GES says efforts are underway to reach the student involved, who has completed school and left the premises.

In a separate case at KNUST Senior High School in the Ashanti Region, the Headteacher has been suspended while investigations continue.