Political divisions among teachers affecting management of Obuasi SHTS – GES Report
The Ashanti Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) committee that investigated the August 2026 disturbances at the Obuasi Senior High Technical School has identified political divisions among teachers as a factor affecting the school’s management.
According to the report, internal management matters were sometimes reported to political offices in the community, amid wider divisions among staff and resistance to aspects of the headmaster’s administration.
The committee recommended that the GES strengthen efforts to reduce partisan political activities and influence within educational institutions.
“The Ghana Education Service should intensify sensitisation of schools on the need to minimise or eliminate partisan political activities and influences within educational institutions,” the report stated.
It also urged GES to discourage undue pressure and inappropriate interference by former students and other external groups in school management.
“All stakeholders should be reminded that public schools are managed in accordance with GES policies and national education laws and regulations,” it added.
The findings form part of the inquiry into disturbances on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, during which the headmaster was assaulted, and school and personal property were damaged.
Beyond political divisions, the committee identified staff factions, including groups referred to as “Parliament”, “Caucus” and “Man never is”, which it said had weakened staff cohesion and school administration.
It found that a section of teachers and some former students had opposed the headmaster’s appointment from the outset because they preferred another candidate.
According to the report, some of those individuals continued to resist aspects of his administration, creating divisions that undermined his authority and affected the effective running of the school.
The committee also found that some teachers opposed efforts to enforce discipline, punctuality and accountability.
To address the divisions, it recommended that informal staff associations and unauthorised groupings be derecognised and appropriately managed to prevent them from becoming parallel centres of authority or influence.
It further proposed a review of school committees, boards, task teams and internal appointments, with reconstitution where necessary to restore confidence, ensure balanced representation and promote professionalism.
The report also recommended stricter controls on access to the school by former students, former staff and other external stakeholders without current official responsibilities.
The August unrest followed the discovery of what appeared to be the remains of a baby buried on the school compound. The nine-member committee was inaugurated on 11 August to investigate the demonstration, the headmaster’s conduct and related matters.
Its findings relate to that earlier inquiry and are separate from a fresh investigation commissioned by GES following a recent JoyNews investigation into another allegation of sexual abuse against the headmaster.
The headmaster of the school, Zakaria Abdulai, is the current constituency secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Juapen Constituency and is the hopeful constituency chairman.
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