Child Rights International (CRI) has called for urgent reforms in Ghana’s education system to strengthen child protection following persistent reports of sexual abuse in basic and Senior High Schools.

The Executive Director of CRI, Bright Appiah, made the call at a press briefing following reports of the alleged sexual abuse of 16 students by the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School in the Ashanti Region.

He expressed concerns that many abuse cases appear to receive meaningful attention only after viral videos or media investigations bring them into the public domain.

"This is a troubling pattern that we are seeing and I feel that the incident of abuse in our schools is having effect on the development of our children and for that matter, we need urgent action to be able to address some of these issues. Our concern is that these issues of protection should not only be in the media or social media for us to be able to pay attention to it but the system should be able to render some services and be more responsive to the issues that concern children and the institutions must also live up their mandate to they protect the right of children," he emphasised.

The organisation called on the  Ghana Education Service to ensure that allegations involving possible criminal conduct are promptly referred to the appropriate law enforcement and child protection authorities rather than being handled solely through internal administrative procedures.

"Child Rights International strongly condemn some of these affairs that goes on in our schools and we need urgent decisive and sustained action to ensure that every child is protected, every complaint is taken seriously and every allegation is addressed through the appropriate accountability and justice mechanisms."

CRI is therefore proposing an independent school counselling and child protection oversight authority, the integration of social welfare officers into schools, stronger administrative accountability, and a comprehensive review of the GES code of conduct.

Mr. Appiah stressed that the safety and dignity of children must remain a priority, insisting that allegations of abuse should be addressed promptly without waiting for public pressure.

"...we think that for children to be able to enjoy their fundamental right to protection, dignity and privacy, there is a need for the State to begin to rethink about how our child protection system should look like within our schools.

"Child Rights International is calling for an establishment of an independent school counselling and child protection oversight mechanisms in our schools. And what we are saying is that the counselling unit of the Ghana Education Service should be elevated to the level of authority to gain that greater independence and authority to enable it to operate effectively and to provide oversight and supervision of child welfare and protection matters within our schools."

CRI maintains that every child deserves to learn in a safe environment, free from fear, abuse and violations of their rights.