Obuasi SHTS: My daughter may quit school to help on my cocoa farm – Father of victim in headteacher’s alleged sexual abuse case

John Kwaku Bobena, a cocoa farmer and father of a Form Three student at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), expressed his heartbreak over the potential consequences for his daughter if the school remains closed. The school was shut down following allegations of sexual misconduct against the headmaster. Bobena fears his daughter may have to abandon her education and join him on the cocoa farm if the Ghana Education Service (GES) cannot secure another school for her.

He questioned why innocent students should suffer academically due to the headmaster's alleged misconduct, especially as they were preparing for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Bobena emphasized that the students all needed to write the same exam questions, so why should they bear the burden of the headmaster's alleged actions?

Furthermore, Bobena was alarmed by reports that 38 teachers had been dismissed over their alleged involvement in the case, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the students' education. He warned that if the GES fails to find a new school for his daughter, she would have to stay at home and assist him with his cocoa farm.

Bobena expressed his disappointment that he had already invested considerable resources in his daughter's education and couldn't afford to start paying new fees for her to attend another school. He also had other children at various stages of their education and had supported relatives and others through school, but he had used all his available funds for his daughter's education.

Despite not having attended school himself, Bobena acknowledged his success as a cocoa farmer and was prepared to have his daughter work with him if she could no longer continue her education. He maintained that he had done everything possible to support his daughter's education and had not yet found a new school for her, hoping the GES would intervene to prevent her from losing her chance to complete her secondary education.