By: Jonathan Thompson
Ghana will soon have a policy in place to check sexual harassment in schools. To this end, documented guidelines to this policy has been launched in Accra as part of the ongoing National Education Week 2023.
Launching the policy guidelines, Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, described the initiative by the Ghana Education Service, GES, and other development partners as a ground-breaking move that will not only empower students, especially girls, to report any act of harassment against them but also set out stringent penalties for offenders of sexual harassment in schools.
The core objective for the formulation of the policy on Sexual Harassment is to ensure that all students are safe in the hands of the teachers and other caregivers at every level of the educational ladder.
Key highlights of the policy, when implemented, include the training of teachers and educators on the psycho-social and legal dimensions on Sexual Harassment as well as avenues to identify acts that lead to sexual exploitation of students in order to report to the appropriate quarters for culprits to be dealt with in accordance with punitive measures outlined in the policy.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum promised to work effectively with the stakeholders to get it passed immediately.
The Director of Guidance and Counselling at the Ghana Education Service, Gifty Sekyi-Bremansu, said the policy comes at a time, the Ghana Education Service has realized the need to stand strong against any act that denies especially the girl child from attaining the full benefits of formal education in the country.