The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Dr. William Amankrah Appiah, and the Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education, Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah, to step aside with immediate effect as investigations continue into allegations of sexual misconduct involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHS).
The directive, announced in a statement issued by the GES Public Relations Unit on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, is intended to allow the investigation to proceed without potential interference or the perception of interference.
According to the statement, the two directors are required to hand over their offices and all state property in their possession to the Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Thomas Kwame Boateng.
The decision forms part of measures being taken by the Service as it investigates allegations involving the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai.
The allegations gained national attention following an investigative report by JoyNews journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, which detailed claims of sexual abuse involving female students of the school.
According to the investigation, several female students had allegedly suffered sexual abuse, with complaints reportedly made to education authorities months before the matter became public.
In a separate case, police have disclosed that a 20-year-old Form Two student lodged a complaint alleging that Mr Abdulai raped her at his official residence on the school’s campus on July 25, 2026.
The student, who reported the incident to the Obuasi Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) on August 4, 2026, alleged that the headmaster lured her into his residence before forcibly having sexual intercourse with her.
The allegations remain subject to the ongoing legal and administrative processes.
GES has also clarified that Mr Abdulai remains interdicted, cautioning the public against reports suggesting that he has been cleared.
“The headmaster also remains interdicted. Therefore, the public is urged to ignore any news making the rounds that the headmaster has been cleared,” the statement said.
The Service said the administrative decision was necessary to safeguard the integrity of the ongoing investigation and ensure that the process is conducted without undue influence.
GES has appealed to the public to remain calm and cooperate with the process, stressing that a thorough investigation into the matter is ongoing.
“Management calls for calm, support and cooperation as thorough investigation into the matter continues,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Abdulai has reportedly resigned as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency secretary and withdrawn from his bid to contest for the constituency chairmanship amid the controversy.
