GES to reprimand Techiman SHS teachers over student assault caught on video, warns of harsher penalties for repeat offenders

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has moved to discipline two teachers at Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School in Techiman following the emergence of a video showing the alleged physical assault of a male student. The incident, which sparked widespread public outrage after the footage circulated online, has prompted both an internal school investigation and police involvement in the Bono East Region.

What disciplinary action will the teachers face?

According to Dr Issahaque Munwaru, the GES Deputy Director-General in charge of Quality and Access, an internal committee set up by the school's management has recommended that the two teachers be formally reprimanded and stripped of their roles as Masters on Duty. Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Monday, Dr Munwaru confirmed that the teachers will also be referred for professional guidance and counselling.

Beyond the administrative sanctions, the school intends to surcharge the teachers — meaning they will be required to personally cover the medical costs incurred in treating the students involved. The affected students will likewise receive counselling support as part of the school's response.

Dr Munwaru was unequivocal that, regardless of the circumstances that led to the incident, the teachers' conduct was unacceptable. "The law does not permit anything that will inflict pain on the child," he said, stressing that the GES Code of Conduct expressly prohibits staff from administering corporal punishment, subjecting students to painful body postures, or assaulting them in any form.

He further warned that any repeat misconduct of a similar nature would attract far more severe consequences. "Any further misconduct along the same line will not receive the same level. It is going to be more punitive," he cautioned.

The background: Bullying allegations behind the confrontation

Preliminary findings from the school's investigation suggest the teachers allegedly intervened after discovering that a group of students had been bullying and extorting money from fellow pupils. Reports indicate that the bullying students were using the metallic parts of their belts to lash classmates who refused to comply with their demands.

While the GES acknowledged this context, Dr Munwaru maintained firmly that the situation did not justify the teachers taking the law into their own hands. The conduct has been classified as professional misconduct under Part Three, Section Eight, Subsection A of the GES Code of Conduct — a provision that governs how staff must treat students under their care.

The two teachers were previously arrested by the Bono East Regional Police in connection with the incident. Dr Munwaru confirmed that the GES is cooperating fully with the police investigation and will provide relevant information to support it, even as its own internal disciplinary process runs concurrently.

Why it matters for Ghana

This incident touches on two deeply concerning issues within Ghana's public school system: corporal punishment and student-on-student bullying. Despite a longstanding legal and regulatory prohibition on corporal punishment in Ghanaian schools, physical disciplining of students by teachers remains a persistent problem, particularly in boarding secondary schools where oversight can be limited.

The GES has maintained that it regularly educates teachers on the Code of Conduct through orientation programmes, professional learning communities and continuous professional development sessions. Yet the recurrence of such incidents raises genuine questions about how effectively these messages are being absorbed and enforced at the school level.

At the same time, the bullying behaviour described — students using belt buckles to extort and physically harm peers — points to a serious safeguarding gap that school authorities need to address through proper, lawful channels rather than vigilante-style responses from staff.

• Parents and advocacy groups will be watching closely to see whether the recommended sanctions — a reprimand and reassignment of duties — are considered proportionate to the gravity of the offence, or whether public pressure pushes for stronger action.
• The case also underscores the need for clearer, well-resourced reporting and response mechanisms for bullying in Ghanaian senior high schools, so that teachers feel empowered to act within the law when such situations arise.

The GES has signalled it will not let the matter rest with this case alone, reiterating its commitment to enforcing regulations against all forms of abuse across the country's schools.