GES Cracks Down on Teachers Demanding Household Chores from Students

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has issued a formal directive ordering all senior high schools to immediately stop requiring students to perform household chores at the homes of teachers and headmasters, marking a significant move to strengthen student protection across the country's secondary school system.

GES Director-General Professor Ernest Kofi Davis confirmed the directive in an interview this week, stating that the practice—already explicitly prohibited under Section 3.7 V of the GES Code of Conduct—would be reinforced through written communications to schools nationwide. The Service plans to notify all regional education directors by the end of the week, tasking them with ensuring compliance from schools under their supervision.

"We are going to write to schools to make sure that it doesn't happen because in our code of conduct, section 3.7 V, it is written that the students are not expected to be asked to engage in household chores," Professor Davis stated. He acknowledged that despite the existing prohibition, the practice has persisted in some schools, attributing this to insufficient awareness amongst staff about the regulations.

Background to the Crackdown

This intervention arrives amid heightened scrutiny of student welfare in senior high schools, particularly following recent sexual abuse allegations at Obuasi Senior High Technical School. These incidents have reignited national conversation about the vulnerabilities students face within educational institutions and the safeguards—or lack thereof—designed to protect them.

The practice of tasking students with household responsibilities at teachers' residences has long been contentious in Ghana's education sector. Advocates for student rights have consistently argued that such arrangements create environments where young people can be exploited, isolated, and subjected to various forms of abuse, including physical, emotional, and sexual misconduct. The power imbalance between teachers and students, combined with the private setting of teachers' homes, makes these situations particularly risky.

Despite the GES Code of Conduct explicitly prohibiting the practice for years, implementation has been inconsistent, with little oversight or enforcement at the school level. Teachers and headmasters in some institutions have continued the practice with minimal consequences, suggesting that either awareness of the regulation was low or enforcement mechanisms were inadequate.

Why This Matters for Ghana's Education System

This directive represents a critical step in establishing stronger protective boundaries around students in Ghana's secondary schools. The timing is particularly significant as parents, educators, and policymakers grapple with questions about institutional accountability and student safety.

By reactivating enforcement of this existing Code of Conduct provision, the GES is signalling that student protection is non-negotiable. The approach also highlights the importance of institutional awareness—Professor Davis's emphasis on staff familiarising themselves with existing regulations suggests that many breaches occur not from deliberate violation but from oversight or ignorance.

The directive places responsibility on regional directors to cascade the message through their networks, creating a clearer chain of accountability. Schools that fail to comply will face renewed scrutiny, potentially shifting from a system where such practices were overlooked to one where they carry consequences.

For Ghanaian families with children in senior high schools, this order should provide some reassurance that their children's time in teachers' homes—previously a grey area with minimal protection—is now explicitly forbidden and subject to renewed enforcement. However, the GES will need to demonstrate consistent follow-up to ensure the directive translates into meaningful change rather than remaining simply a written instruction.