Teacher–Student Sexual Relationships: A persistent abuse of power

I watch with deep disgust the recent revelations about teachers engaging in sexual acts with their students. The latest incidents, including the KNUST case involving an assistant headmaster allegedly fondling a student’s breast, and the one at Okadjakrom SHTS, where a teacher was caught having intercourse with a female student in his office, are not isolated. These are the very people entrusted with the moral and academic guidance of our youth, yet some have become their exploiters.

This is not new. Growing up, we often heard stories of teachers sleeping with female students. Certain girls would spend long hours in teachers’ rooms under the pretence of fetching water or cleaning. Suddenly, some average students turned into “Isaac Newton” in subjects taught by these same teachers. And this was in JSS!

I attended an all-boys school in secondary school, so I didn’t witness such acts firsthand, but friends from mixed and girls-only schools often shared even worse stories. In many schools, it is an open secret that male teachers have relationships with female students. It has become so normalised that people only react when it becomes a public scandal.

This raises a critical question: Does such conduct constitute abuse, even when the student is old enough to consent?

Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), the legal age of sexual consent is 16. Therefore, engaging in sexual intercourse with anyone below that age is automatically criminal and classified as defilement. However, even when the student is above 16, the law still recognises that consent may not be valid if obtained through coercion, deception, undue influence, or abuse of power.

A teacher–student relationship exemplifies a clear power imbalance. Teachers possess considerable authority: they grade, discipline, and recommend students. This power dynamic can undermine the student's ability to freely consent, raising doubts about whether it was genuinely voluntary.

Some men attempt to justify these acts by claiming that “the girls are spoilt.” I even heard a lawyer publicly defend the KNUST headmaster’s behaviour before being compelled to apologise. Likewise, Professor Charles Ofosu Marfo was quoted as suggesting that the girl’s age and background should be taken into account, implying that if she were over 16, then consent made the act acceptable.

Such arguments are shameful and intellectually dishonest. Regardless of age, a teacher engaging in a sexual relationship with a student constitutes an abuse of trust.

Even in professional workplaces, such relationships are strictly prohibited because of their exploitative nature. Why, then, should they be tolerated in our schools, the very institutions meant to nurture and safeguard young minds? Ghanaian men, we must do better. Let’s not justify wrongdoings simply because they come from those in power or due to outdated notions of masculinity.

Beyond the legal framework, both ethical and educational standards clearly prohibit teacher–student sexual relationships. These relationships breach the duty of care, violate professional ethics, and undermine public trust in education. Even if such acts do not always meet the strict legal definition of a crime, they are unquestionably a misuse of authority and deserving of strong disciplinary measures.

I sincerely hope the offenders in these recent cases face appropriate consequences, not only to deliver justice but also to set a strong example. Our parents deserve the reassurance that when their daughters go to school, they are in safe and honourable hands.