On Wednesday August 12, Eduwatch engaged the Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) on the findings of its scoping study on the implementation of the Guideline for Addressing Sexual Harassment in Secondary Education Institutions. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Director-General, Management Services, on behalf of the Director-General of GES, with participation from Deputy Director-Generals and Directors from the Girls’ Education Unit, Special Education Division, Schools and Instruction Division, SHEP Division, Planning, Guidance and Counselling, Monitoring and Evaluation, among others.

The scoping study, conducted by Eduwatch with support from Oxfam, assessed the extent of awareness, dissemination, institutional preparedness, capacity building, reporting systems, case management, monitoring and implementation bottlenecks relating to the Guideline.

Eduwatch’s Executive Director, Kofi Asare, presented the study findings and highlighted the need to strengthen policy education and awareness on basic incident reporting processes in schools, including the use of clear reporting visuals across schools. He also emphasised the need to institutionalise mandatory refresher training for Safe Space Focal Persons, Guidance and Counselling Coordinators and safeguarding committee members; streamline staff-related case procedures; formalise collaboration with DOVVSU, Social Welfare, PTAs and civil society; and introduce criminal background checks into teacher recruitment processes.

GES welcomed the findings and recommendations and acknowledged Eduwatch’s contribution to safeguarding and gender-responsive education advocacy. Management also affirmed the need for more contextual sensitisation on sexual harassment, stronger implementation of the Safe School Policy and Sexual Harassment Guideline, enhanced implementation at the JHS level, strengthened implementation at the SHS level, nationwide in-school visuals on reporting processes, improved capacity building for teachers and learners, and stronger online reporting mechanisms that protect confidentiality and allow bystander reporting.

The Eduwatch team was joined by representatives from Oxfam in Ghana and Oxfam Danmark, who are in Ghana on a working visit. The Oxfam Denmark team engaged GES Management on its working relationship with Oxfam in Ghana and Eduwatch and shared useful reflections on strengthening safeguarding systems. Other members of the Eduwatch Team were the GESI Lead, Sahadatu Ali, and Programme Officer, Kwasi Nimo Jnr.

Eduwatch and Management of GES will continue to collaborate on safeguarding, school discipline and gender-responsive education reforms to improve implementation, accountability and learner protection.

© Africa Education Watch

On Thursday August 13, Eduwatch published its scoping study on the implementation of the Guideline for Addressing Sexual Harassment in Secondary Education Institutions, two years after its launch. The study, which was conducted with support from Oxfam, draws on engagement with stakeholders across GES Headquarters, Municipal Education Offices, selected SHSs, selected JHSs, the National Teaching Council and student leadership structures.

The study found that while the Guideline has been rolled out to many secondary schools and awareness is relatively high among school leaders, Safe Space Focal Persons (SSFPs), Guidance and Counselling (G&C) Coordinators and committee members, access remains narrow among assistant heads, teachers and learners. It also finds that refresher training has been limited, many schools have not developed school-specific sexual harassment policies, reporting confidence remains weak among learners, and dedicated monitoring and accountability systems are yet to be fully established.

Eduwatch recommends that GES expands access to the Guideline, institutionalises annual refresher training for SSFPs, G&C Coordinators and safeguarding committee members, requires school-specific sexual harassment policies, strengthens confidential and student-friendly reporting systems, establishes a central safeguarding reporting and data system, and formalises collaboration with DOVVSU, Social Welfare, PTAs and civil society.

The full scoping study report is accessible via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/study-on-the-implementation-of-sexual-harassment-guidelines-in-ghana-schools

© Africa Education Watch

Eduwatch has called for an immediate review of the disciplinary action taken against a 14-year-old student of Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School (SHS) following an alleged sexual abuse incident involving two security personnel. While Eduwatch welcomed the arrest of the suspects and ongoing investigations, we expressed concerns about the school’s decision to withdraw the student’s boarding status for one academic year after finding her “guilty of sexual misconduct”.

We argued that the student, being 14 years old, should be treated primarily as a child requiring protection rather than as a consenting participant in sexual conduct involving adults. We also indicated that the school’s disciplinary decision requires “urgent independent review”, particularly because the alleged conduct involved adults entrusted with the security of students.

Eduwatch's statement stressed that “A child who is sexually abused must not be punished for the abuse,” and “when an adult sexually abuses a child, the system must pursue the adult and protect the child; it must never punish the child for being abused.”

Following the statement and subsequent engagements, the Ministry of Education released a statement on August 20, 2026 expressing grave concerns over the sexual abuse of the 14-year-old student with autism. The Ministry condemned in the strongest terms any act of sexual abuse or exploitation of a child under care, adding that schools exist to protect and nurture students, and any breach of that trust, particularly by adults entrusted with safeguarding vulnerable children, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

The Ministry's statement indicated unequivocally that a minor cannot be held responsible for sexual abuse perpetrated against her by an adult. Pursuant, the Minister for Education directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to investigate the matter and report immediately, ensure that the victim receives all the necessary medical attention and counselling for her quick recovery, and immediately reinstate the boarding status of the victim.

Eduwatch's full statement is available via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/eduwatch-statement-on-the-bolgatanga-girls-shs-sexual-abuse-case

The Ministry's statement can be accessed via the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D8425YL6g/

© Africa Education Watch

On Tuesday July 28, Eduwatch issued a statement on the review of Ghana's Kindergarten (KG) and primary school curriculum by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA). Eduwatch called for a deliberate, well-resourced and phased implementation of the revised curriculum.

While NaCCA proposes a phased rollout of the review recommendations from the 2027/28 academic year (commencing September 2027), Eduwatch believes the rollout should commence only after key preparatory milestones have been achieved. The recommended milestones include comprehensive teacher training, stakeholder sensitisation, provision of adequate teaching and learning materials, support for task-based formative assessments, effective monitoring and accountability systems, and sufficient financial, technical and human resource support for NaCCA.

Eduwatch further called for an Implementation Readiness Plan from the Ministry of Education, outlining preparatory milestones, institutional responsibilities, resource requirements, and timelines. This will help ensure system readiness, implementation fidelity, and the effective delivery of the revised curriculum.

The full statement is accessible via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/eduwatch-on-kg-and-primary-curriculum-review

© Africa Education Watch

On Monday August 24, Eduwatch will commence a field survey to assess hidden costs in public basic education. The exercise seeks to assess the extent of direct costs borne by parents of children in public basic schools and their implications for equitable access, participation, and quality-related learning conditions.

The study has three main objectives:

1. To determine the incidence (whether such costs exist), magnitude (extent), frequency (how often they are incurred in an academic year), and composition (what they constitute) of direct costs borne by parents of children in public Kindergarten, Primary and Junior High Schools.

2. To assess the reported effects of inability to meet these costs on enrolment, attendance, participation in assessment, access to essential learning inputs, and other quality-related learning conditions; and

3. To relate these parental payments to official financing responsibilities and recommend practical financing, policy and accountability measures that reduce avoidable household costs and strengthen the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education programme.

In total, 200 parents across 10 districts will be engaged under the assessment.

© Africa Education Watch