According to Eduwatch, a letter issued by the school on July 20, 2026, found the student “guilty of sexual misconduct” and withdrew her boarding status for one academic year.
The education-focused civil society organisation said the decision requires urgent review, arguing that a child alleged to have been sexually abused by adults should primarily be treated as a child requiring protection and support, rather than as a participant in the alleged misconduct.
Eduwatch said the school’s letter indicated that dismissal would ordinarily have been the prescribed sanction, but that the punishment was reduced to deboarding because of the student’s medical condition.
“A 14-year-old allegedly sexually abused by adults must first and foremost be treated as a child requiring protection, not as a consenting participant in the conduct of adults,” Eduwatch said in a statement issued on Thursday, August 20.
The organisation has therefore called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to independently review the disciplinary decision and determine whether the finding of “sexual misconduct,” and the subsequent deboarding were appropriate.
Eduwatch said that if the sanction was linked to the alleged sexual conduct involving the student and adult employees of the school, the disciplinary finding and its consequences should be set aside and the student’s educational rights fully restored.
Eduwatch has also raised concerns about the school’s handling of the alleged abuse, particularly the timeline between the student’s first disclosure and the involvement of the Police, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) and other relevant child protection authorities.
The organisation said information available to it suggests that the alleged incidents began in the last week of June and continued into July.
According to Eduwatch, the student initially disclosed the alleged involvement of one security guard before subsequently identifying another.
It wants the GES investigation to establish when the student first disclosed the alleged abuse, who received the disclosure and what immediate protective measures were taken.
Eduwatch also wants the investigation to determine whether the accused persons continued to have access to students following the disclosure and when the matter was referred to the appropriate law enforcement and child protection authorities.
Beyond the individual case, Eduwatch has called for a comprehensive safeguarding audit of Bolgatanga Girls’ SHS.
The audit, it said, should examine the recruitment, vetting, supervision and deployment of staff, access to students and restricted areas, reporting and referral procedures, as well as the implementation of relevant child protection and safeguarding guidelines.
Eduwatch said the review should help identify any institutional weaknesses that may have contributed to the alleged incident and ensure that appropriate safeguards are put in place to protect students from abuse.
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