Headmaster of Prevailing Academy Arrested for Impregnating Final-Year Student and Attempting Cover-Up
Isaac Otchere, the headmaster of Prevailing Academy, a private senior high school in the Ashanti region, has been taken into custody by the Ghana Police Service on charges of impregnating a final-year female student and orchestrating a botched cover-up to conceal the scandal.
The arrest, executed on Saturday, October 18, follows a months-long investigation sparked by the student’s family after discovering her pregnancy.
According to police sources, the 45-year-old Otchere allegedly exploited his authority to initiate a sexual relationship with the 18-year-old student during after-school counseling sessions in early 2025. The affair reportedly led to her pregnancy, confirmed in July, prompting the school administration to pressure her into an abortion under the guise of “discipline.” When she refused, Otchere is accused of offering bribes to the family—initially GH¢5,000 and later escalating to GH¢10,000—to keep silent, while falsifying records to attribute her absence to “health issues” rather than expulsion.
The victim’s mother, speaking anonymously to Joy News, recounted the ordeal: “He called us to his office and begged us not to report, saying it would ruin his career. But my daughter is innocent; she trusted him as her mentor.” The family, instead of accepting the hush money, filed a complaint with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), leading to Otchere’s detention at the Kumasi Central Police Station.
Otchere faces charges under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), including defilement of a child (despite her age, as she was under his guardianship), procurement of miscarriage, and corruption of public morals, which could result in up to 25 years imprisonment if convicted. A preliminary medical examination verified the pregnancy, now in its second trimester, and confirmed no prior abortions.
Prevailing Academy, a co-educational institution in Kumasi’s Tafo suburb with about 500 students, has suspended operations pending a full probe by the Ghana Education Service (GES). GES Director-General Dr. Eric Nkansah condemned the incident as a “betrayal of trust” and vowed stricter vetting for private school administrators, echoing recent reforms post-2024 scandals involving over 20 educators nationwide.
This case highlights persistent vulnerabilities in Ghana’s education sector, where power imbalances enable abuse. In 2024 alone, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) recorded 156 defilement cases against teachers, with rural and private schools disproportionately affected. As Otchere awaits arraignment on Wednesday, October 22, the student has been relocated to a safe house, with counseling support from NGOs like Songtaba.
The academy’s board has distanced itself, promising cooperation with authorities, while community leaders in Tafo decry the erosion of moral authority in schools. Otchere, a former deputy head at Kumasi Anglican SHS, was unavailable for comment, but his lawyer has hinted at a not guilty plea.
