Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner…
(Stave 1) A Christmas Carol (1843) – Charles Dickens
OBUASI – a name that is simply translated as under the rock – has been famous in Ghana’s history for a long time because of its gold. We cannot discount the sweet oranges of the town: Obuasi ankaa – wo)! And people from far and near enjoyed the juice, and the town attracted people from all over Ghana for its wealth: besides the local Adansis, we also have Fantes, Akuapims, Kwahus, Assins, Frafra, Grushies, Dagartis, Hausas, Ewes, Gas, Nzema,…. a lot of whom have made Obuasi their second-home.
Before 1875, the indigenous people extracted gold from stream beds and shallow rock reefs. French explorer Marie Joseph Bonnat obtained the first mining rights in June, 1875. Joseph Ellis and Joseph Biney were two Fantes who put in a claim of land stretching 265 km square (the Ellis Mine). The Fante duo transferred their rights to Edwin Arthur Cade in August 1895. In 1897, the British incorporated the Ashanti Goldfields, naming the company as Obuasi Gold Mine which was once headed by our friend, Sir Sam Jonah as the Chief Executive Officer.
As to be expected, Obuasi is home to many educational institutions: Obuasi Senior High Technical School, a co-educational second cycle public school; Christ the King Catholic Senior High School; St. Margaret Senior High School; the College of Integrated Health Care; and a campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Akrokerri where we had our training as teachers lies about seven kilometers away, and we had our teaching practice in one Middle School in Obuasi town. (But for the Senior High, it was Vakpo Secondary School that we went to teach for the National Service almost fifty years ago). We were taught at Akrorkerri by our “Education” master that as teachers we were going to be “in loco parentis” (in the place of a parent).
The child is entrusted to the care of the teacher who has the responsibility of not only teaching him, but also discharging the duties that would normally be exercised by the parents, including counselling the child: for this to be possible, there should exist “rapport” between the teacher and the pupils… but each person should know where the limits are, and educationists ought to know this.
Comes in Zakaria Abdulai and that headmaster must have read “Tom Brown’s School Days” (the 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes) and may have imbibed the thinking: “Boys will be boys” (rough, noisy, impulsive) rather than “Boys will be men” (with emotional maturity, accountability and empathy) with a PhD (Dr) in Educational Administration, 25 years of experience in educational leadership and running Obuasi SHTS since 2015. How old is he? Is he married? He has allegedly abused that “contract”. The story as it unfolds, is bizarre and scandalous. It is all over the place – the whole of Ghana, the whole world – and now with the Internet… YouTube, Facebook, TikTok
A headmaster – not a tutor – interdicted over allegations of having sexual relations involving close to 19 female students in the school, leading to forced abortions…!
Students went on demonstration, and this led to the arrest and detention of a number of the students. Also arrested were two tutors – Messrs. Brefo and Appiah. The school was closed down, close to three months, for the violent demonstration… burning of the headmaster’s car.
Police investigations led to the discovery of an object resembling a foetus buried in the school’s compound… who may have buried the foetus, and from whose body? Stinking.
And, but for Manasseh Azure Awuni and Joy News, the truth would have been hidden from the public… – Zakaria would have enjoyed his position as NDC Secretary of Juaben Constituency; he could have won the Chairmanship… on and on to even Regional or National Chairmanship!
Before we proceed let us condemn the topic given this story by the “Catholic Standard” of Sunday October 25, being “Schools of Shame”!
Why and how this topic? We are Catholics and we never miss “The Catholic Standard” from 1974…
The story was well captured: “Two campuses, more than a dozen girls, one nation asking: who is guarding our daughters? Ghana’s classrooms, meant to be sanctuaries, are under a cloud.
Two senior high schools, one in the north and one in the heart of Ashanti, now stand at the centre of allegations that have shaken parents, shocked the Church and forced the government to act… Obuasi Senior High Technical School… two security men at Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School (BOGISS) are facing trial for defilement, Adams Nyaaba Idrisu, 72, and Elvis Adongo, 38… The Mental Health … chaired by the Executive Secretary Mr. Humphrey Matey Kofie, has demanded to know whether the BOGISS child is safe, supported and back in school… Until the courts and investigators have done their work, the presumption of innocence must stand. But the safety of every girl in Ghana’s schools must not wait on a court (?) verdict.” Excellent, But what makes the schools “Schools of Shame”?
It is a shame that whereas Sir Sam Jonah and others like him carried out themselves and portrayed Obuasi to the world in great honour, people like the headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, have wrecked that stupendous recognition.
Notable people have given very useful comments and observations; the panel on last week’s Saturday programme on TV 3 “The Big Issue” was marvellous; Martin Kpebu wishes there would be a stop to “white-washing” of the allegations, and that all implicated parties, including the committee that reported, teachers responsible for action against the miscreants must all be held responsible…
Joy FM Newsfile as well captured it. You would also have appreciated Dr. Yaw Adutwum’s discussion at “Mpu-ne-Mpu” on UTV. The brilliant ex-MP explained the role of the Ghana Education Service and that of the Ministry of Education, explaining the “mandatory training” given at the beginning of every year to teachers that includes “sexual abuse” and “sexual harassment” as well as “mandatory reporting” (Not to the headmaster or the school authorities, but rather to a “third party” like DOVVSU).
Let us warn teachers and all those who handle our kids. The days of yore are over. Gone are the days when women would panic when school vacations come and fear the female students would grab their husbands — call the female students “Koforidua flowers”. Gone are the days when teachers would go to some schools and engage in immorality, with female students and calling same “bush allowance”.
The headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, has been interdicted by the Ghana Education Service, pending investigations by the Police and Court action. The Court will tell whether what he did can be an offence under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29 as amended by Act 554). Rape: Sections 97 and 99 of Act 29 classified as a first degree felony carrying a sentence ranging from a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 25 years OR Defilement (Natural or unnatural carnal knowledge of a child under the age of 16 … (either male or female victims) classified as a felony without any justifiable defence of consent. Carrying a minimum sentence of 7 years and a maximum of 25 years.
Check Section 99: “Whenever, upon the trial of any person for an offence punishable for this Code, it is necessary to prove carnal knowledge or unnatural knowledge, the carnal knowledge or unnatural carnal knowledge shall be deemed complete upon proof of the least degree of penetration.”
There are reports that some of the school girls who had given statements to the Police are going to withdraw their statements. Whom does this surprise? Political maneuvering, societal lobbying, religious pressure, in the end, it becomes a wasted effort by all of us, and the alleged criminal will go home unscathed when we are told by the Police, “It is a foolish case”.
Are the following institutions going to sit down and watch this case die: Ghana Police Service (CID, DOVVSU), Office of the Attorney-General, the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Human Rights Committee of Parliament, Civil Society Organisations like the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)…
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