Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has called for an immediate review of a school disciplinary decision against a 14-year-old student of Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School who was allegedly sexually abused by two security personnel on the school premises.

The education advocacy organisation said the student should not face disciplinary or educational consequences for alleged sexual conduct involving adults, and described the school’s decision to withdraw her boarding status for one academic year as a matter requiring urgent independent review.

The two security personnel have reportedly been arrested and are expected to appear before court on Thursday, August 20, 2026, to face criminal charges.

Read also: GES interdicts two watchmen over alleged sexual assault of Bolgatanga Girls SHS student

In a statement issued on Thursday, August 29, Eduwatch said it welcomed the arrests and commended the media for bringing the case to public attention while protecting the identity of the child.

“ A child who is sexually abused must not be punished for the abuse!” the organisation said.

Eduwatch said it would follow the court proceedings and broader investigations while respecting the rights of the accused and protecting the child’s identity, dignity and best interests.

According to Eduwatch, a letter from Bolgatanga Girls SHS dated July 20, 2026, described the student as “guilty of sexual misconduct” and stated that her boarding status had been withdrawn for one academic year.

The organisation said the letter indicated that dismissal would ordinarily have been the prescribed punishment but that the sanction was reduced because of the student’s medical condition.

Eduwatch said that decision must be independently reviewed, arguing that a 14-year-old allegedly abused by adults should primarily be treated as a child in need of protection.

“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,” it said.

The organisation argued that under Ghanaian law, a child below 16 cannot legally consent to sexual intercourse with an adult.

“Where sexual conduct involves an adult and a 14-year-old child, responsibility cannot be shifted onto the child through school disciplinary processes,” Eduwatch said.

It said the focus should instead be on how the alleged perpetrators gained access to the student and whether the school acted quickly enough to protect her and other students.

“The central safeguarding question must therefore be how adults entrusted with the security of students allegedly gained access to a minor for such conduct, and whether the school’s systems acted promptly to protect her once concerns became known,” it said.

Eduwatch also wants the Ghana Education Service (GES) to establish exactly when the school became aware of the alleged abuse and what action it took afterwards.

The organisation said information available to it suggested that the alleged incidents began in the last week of June and continued into July. It said the student initially disclosed the involvement of one security guard before later mentioning another.

It stressed that the precise sequence of events must be independently established.

The GES investigation, it said, should determine when the first disclosure was made, who received it, what immediate protective measures were taken and whether the first accused security officer was removed from contact with students.

It also wants investigators to establish when the second alleged perpetrator became known and when the case was referred to the Police, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) and relevant child protection authorities.

Eduwatch said any delay in responding to the first disclosure could have serious implications.

“If the child’s first disclosure preceded any subsequent alleged abuse, this would raise an extremely serious question about whether a failure to act promptly exposed her to further harm,” it said.

The organisation stressed that once a child reports alleged sexual abuse by an adult working in a school, the institution has a duty to immediately protect the child and potentially other students from further harm.

Eduwatch also raised concerns about the reference to the student’s medical condition in the school’s disciplinary decision.

It said the July 20 letter confirmed that the removal from boarding was a disciplinary sanction rather than a safeguarding or medical measure.

The letter, according to Eduwatch, stated that the student had been found “guilty of sexual misconduct” and that dismissal was the prescribed sanction, but recommended that because she “has a challenge”, she should instead become a day student for one academic year.

Eduwatch said that if the reference to the student’s “challenge” relates to her being on the autism spectrum, her disability appears to have been considered in determining the punishment rather than as a factor requiring additional protection and support.

The organisation said Ghana’s Inclusive Education Policy recognises the rights and support needs of learners with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum.

“It is therefore deeply concerning that a child’s disability and vulnerability could feature in determining a disciplinary consequence arising from her alleged sexual abuse by adults,” it said.

“A disability should trigger heightened safeguarding, reasonable accommodation and support, not merely a reduction in punishment from dismissal to deboardinisation.”

Eduwatch warned against creating a situation where a child loses access to boarding education because adults or institutional systems failed in their responsibility to protect her.

Eduwatch is calling for an immediate independent GES review of the school’s disciplinary decision.

It wants the finding that the student was “guilty of sexual misconduct” and the subsequent withdrawal of her boarding status to be reviewed and, if they arose from the alleged sexual conduct involving the student and adult school employees, set aside.

The organisation also wants her educational rights fully restored.

It is further calling for a complete reconstruction of the school’s response, from the student’s first disclosure through to the involvement of the Police and DOVVSU.

According to Eduwatch, investigators must establish whether the accused persons continued to have access to students and whether any delay or failure by the school exposed the student to further abuse.

Eduwatch is also calling 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 procedures, and the implementation of relevant GES safeguarding and sexual harassment guidelines.

The organisation wants the student to receive immediate child-centred support, including medical, psychosocial and educational assistance, reasonable accommodation for her disability, protection from stigma and retaliation, and strict confidentiality.

It also called for regular training of school heads and designated officers in safeguarding case management and inclusive education.

Such training, it said, should cover how to respond to disclosures, immediate protective action, referral procedures, disability-sensitive decision-making and the best interests of children.

Eduwatch further urged the GES to strengthen safeguards across schools by ensuring that child sexual abuse is not treated as ordinary student sexual misconduct.

It called for stronger reporting and referral systems involving DOVVSU and Social Welfare, regular safeguarding refresher training for school staff and effective monitoring of compliance with child protection procedures.

Eduwatch also called for the immediate interdiction of the two security personnel pending the conclusion of the criminal and administrative investigations.

It said they should be denied access to students and school premises while respecting their right to due process.

The organisation said the Ministry of Education must urgently review both the treatment of the student and the school’s institutional response.

It stressed that future action must be guided by the best interests of the child, the right to education, inclusive education and the responsibility of schools to keep students safe.

“When an adult sexually abuses a child, the system must pursue the adult and protect the child; it must never punish the child for being abused,” Eduwatch said.