Two watchmen of the Bolgatanga Girls’ Senior High School (BOGISS), a public girls-only school in Ghana’s Upper East Region, have been referred to the Bolgatanga Municipal Education Directorate for disciplinary action over allegations of sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old student on campus.
Media Without Borders gathered from sources at the premier boarding school that one of the security guards had sexual intercourse with the girl around the school’s dining hall at night in the last week of June, 2026.
The incident happened shortly after the school’s regular supervised evening study, known as prep, had ended on a moonless night. A watchman was on patrol at the time.
As the study-weary girl was dragging her feet back to her dormitory from prep to sleep, the watchman approached her. He lured her to a dark, isolated area at the back of the dining hall and, with a promise to buy food for her, sexually abused her there.
A few days later, the other security officer also had sexual intercourse with her. That act took place at dawn inside the security post at the school’s gate, facing a busy highway that connects Ghana to Burkina Faso. The girl had only gone to the security post at that hour to pick up her tablet, which she had given to the watchman the previous night to charge.
School sources said she received the tablet from the school in 2026 as part of the free tablets the government distributed to second-cycle students nationwide some time ago. The school sources told the author of this report that the school management collected Gh¢100 (current equivalent of 9.14 U.S dollars; 7.90 euros) from each parent as payment for a tablet screen protector.
The management also levied every parent Gh¢30 (2.74 U.S. dollars; 2.37 euros) to provide a charging board for every classroom where students could charge their tablets, but failed to provide the charging point. The sources said the failure forced students to take their tablets to unauthorised places, including the security post, to charge.
The student involved in the case has autism- a developmental condition that affects how people perceive and interact with the world around them. According to sources, each of the two watchmen allegedly assaulted her once more at separate locations on campus in early July, bringing the total to four occasions of alleged sexual abuse.
Family’s frustrations
After referring the two watchmen to the Bolgatanga Municipal Education Directorate, the school management also withdrew the girl’s boarding status, converting her to a temporary day student.
The child’s mother declined to speak when the author of this report contacted the family on the matter, saying she was too distressed to address the press.
A family member, Akolbulgo-Zotipelba Ayeo-Duko, confirmed the incident but alleged that the school management had treated the girl unfairly for withdrawing her boarding privileges.
The family says the girl’s autistic condition is moderate and that keeping her in school is critical for her development. They believe staying in the classroom, interacting with peers daily, is the best way for her to learn social skills and feel a sense of belonging.
The family has also expressed frustration that the two watchmen have not been arrested since the school reported the matter to police.
Also of concern to the family is what they describe as the insensitive tone of a letter the school management wrote to them in July regarding the issue.
In the second paragraph, the letter states that the girl is “guilty of sexual misconduct” according to the Ghana Education Service (GES) code of conduct.
They lamented that the management was aware the girl was a minor with a health condition, but still labelled her in the letter as “guilty of sexual misconduct” for an act initiated by two adult employees on campus.
“GES is now doing integration; every child can go to any school,” said Ayeo-Duko. “Children with special needs no longer need to isolate themselves and be in any special school.”
“It is hurting for an institution to treat a 14-year-old child this way because they think she thinks differently or is behaving differently due to her medical condition. Children commit suicide because of such unfair treatment. It’s wrong. Clearly, these watchmen took unlawful advantage of her medical condition,” he added.
School’s comment
When contacted, the school’s headmistress, Gifty Ayamba, confirmed the development. She said the matter had been reported to the relevant education and police authorities.
On the issue of tablet charging, she explained that the school had barred students from entering teachers’ residences to charge devices and had also restricted their access to staff offices after working hours. This, she said, put pressure on the few available charging points and led to reports of missing power banks.
She disclosed that the school contracted an electrician who quoted about Gh¢1,800 (164.57 U.S. dollars; 142.25 euros) for a charging board per class. The cost, she said, was shared among students at Gh¢30 each, with payment being voluntary.
She noted that charging boards had so far been installed in classes that had completed payment. She clarified that the levy was the school’s own arrangement, not that of the GES.
Regarding the abuse case, she said the girl reported to the Dean of Discipline that one of the security men had had sexual contact with her. The student was given a statement form and later indicated that a second watchman was also involved, though she did not know his name.
The headmistress said the school instituted disciplinary proceedings, and during questioning, both men admitted to the act before the school’s disciplinary committee. She added that the case was referred to the Municipal Director of Education, then to the Regional Director, and subsequently reported to the police in line with procedure.
She explained that although the GES code of conduct provided for dismissal of the student for her involvement in the act, the disciplinary committee recommended that she be converted to a day student. This decision, she said, was based on findings that the security men had been giving the girl food and money and had taken advantage of the situation.
The headmistress cited another reason for the decision. She said the girl needed to take some prescribed medication for her condition, which was not being done consistently at school. Placing her as a day student, she said, would ensure the medication was taken as scheduled. She told Media Without Borders the girl was performing well in class despite her health condition.
On Sunday, 16 August 2026, Media Without Borders contacted the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service over the concerns raised by the girl’s family.
The unit confirmed the case had been reported and said efforts were underway to arrest the two watchmen.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana/West Africa
