Teacher, grandmother arrested over 16-year-old’s pregnancy

The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Akosombo and the Asuogyaman Municipal Education Directorate have initiated parallel investigations into allegations of Sexual abuse in Gyekiti Presbyterian Junior High School in the Eastern region.

A teacher in the School Eugene Akolongo has impregnated a 16-year-old form three pupil. The victim is currently three months pregnant.

School authorities and Family of the victim attempted an amicable settlement to cover up the incident to avoid punishment for the teacher after imposing a fine of Ghc5000 on the teacher.

Shortly after Starr News’ publication on the incident, a team of Police personnel from the Akosombo Divisional DOVVSU and the GES stormed the Community to pick the suspect, the victim and Grandmother for investigation.

Their statements were taken by Police and granted bail to reappear before the Unit on Friday, November 8, 2019, to furnish Police with all relevant documents to enable them to establish the accurate age of the victim after claims that she was 18 years of age, though documents obtained from the school by Police suggest otherwise.

According to the District Education Director Theodore Amasah, the Education Directorate has handed over the possible criminal aspect of the case to the Police to investigate while GES deals with the ethical breaches of the Profession.

Professional Code and Conducts for Teachers frown on the sexual relations between teachers and their students regardless of the level of consent.

Background

Starr News Eastern Regional Correspondent Kojo Ansah visited the family house of the 16- year-old girl under the guise of working with an NGO seeking to help girls in such situations. It was established that the teacher had been fined Ghc5000 by the family which he was paying in instalments.

Grandmother of the victim told Starr News she doesn’t want the suspect teacher to lose his job hence the amicable settlement but warned she will be forced to report to the Police if the teacher breaches any part of the agreement reached

The scourge of teenage pregnancy involving some teachers in the Gyekiti Presbytery JHS has infuriated the youth in the community who are threatening to unleash violence on teachers notorious for that moral indignation and despicable act .“

“It is nauseating my brother, teachers in Gyekiti Presby JHS are sexually abusing the girls particularly the fine girls. At least six school girls have been impregnated by some teachers. Others too have given birth and have dropped out. We the youth in this community wanted to attack and beat the teachers to stop that behaviour but we were stopped by leaders in this community ”

Residents are calling on Ghana Education Service to transfer en-bloc teachers in Gyekiti Presby JHS and replace with them those with high moral integrity.

Queen-mother of the Anyaase, Nana Anima Okomasan III, a nearby Community where one of the current victims lives said the community needs a library to keep the children busy with their books to curb the high rate of teenage pregnancy.

The Headmaster of Gyekiti Presby JHS, Madam Doris Akrade, refused to speak on the matter on basis that the Journalist failed to seek permission first from GES before carrying on with the investigation.

“If you publish my school and tarnish the image of my School I will sue the radio station. If you dare I will sue your radio station that one doesn’t take it easy with me at all. There is a letter that before something like this should be done in your School GES must be aware. You can’t go and listen to these foolish people and come and tarnish the image of my school if you tarnish the image of my school I will sue your FM station,” the angry headteacher threatens.

Teenage Pregnancy in Asuogyaman

Asuogyaman District is among districts with a high rate of teenage pregnancy. Headteacher of Mamproase Basic School, William Yaw Sarpong, in 2017 revealed that only one female was able to complete JHS and SHS in the area as the rest got impregnated and dropped out.

Speaking at a feast organized for workers and inhabitants of Anchiansa Community by a California-based Ghanaian businessman, Daniel Nte, also Owner of Muzuu Farms, in 2018, a Circuit Supervisor with the Asuogyaman District Education Directorate, Solomon Addo said, a total of twelve (12) School girls were impregnated and dropped out of School during the year.

“They don’t have a lot of school learning materials so they have to go to the bush to cut firewood, sell and then get money.”

He continued: “Another problem we are facing is that the young men in the community are disturbing the girls too much. We have as much as 10, 11, to 12 young ladies who have given birth to date.”

He said all efforts to get them to go back to school proved futile, saying “once they have given birth they don’t want to go to school.”