The United Private School Teachers Association of Ghana (UPSTAG) has strongly criticized the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) for what it describes as “hypocrisy and political opportunism” following GNACOPS’ recent call for an inquiry into the alleged sexual misconduct case involving an Assistant Headmaster of KNUST Senior High School (SHS).
According to UPSTAG, while GNACOPS is quick to publicly demand investigations into issues within public schools, it has consistently failed to address the deep-rooted challenges and poor working conditions affecting teachers in private schools across the country.
In a statement issued on Saturday, October 4, 2025, the Executive Director of UPSTAG, Mr. Agbesi, accused GNACOPS of turning a blind eye to the plight of private school teachers, many of whom, he said, continue to work under “poverty-driven systems” characterized by low pay and lack of job security.
Mr. Agbesi stated that GNACOPS should be answering to the state and the poor conditions in which private school teachers work, rather than pretending to be champions of morality. He added that they should first investigate and audit themselves — how much school fees they charge and how little they pay their hardworking teachers.
UPSTAG further noted that during the administration of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, there were numerous cases of teacher misconduct and even government victimization of teachers for expressing criticism, yet GNACOPS never uttered a word.
The association cited, for instance, the case in 2020 when some public school teachers were allegedly transferred and sanctioned after criticizing the government’s education policies. UPSTAG recalled that GNACOPS failed to call authorities to order or publicly defend the teachers’ right to free expression at the time, remaining completely silent on the issue.
The association said it is now “highly hypocritical” for GNACOPS to be making loud public pronouncements over the current case when it remained silent during years of widespread challenges in the education sector.
Referring to the recent incident involving the Assistant Headmaster of KNUST Senior High School accused of sexual misconduct, UPSTAG said while it condemns the action of the Assistant Headmaster in no uncertain terms, it is satisfied with the intervention of the government through the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education, and commends them for their swift and decisive response.
UPSTAG added that private school teachers are not able to live a meaningful life, have access to poor healthcare, live in poor environments, struggle to pay rent, and, in many cases, cannot even afford to own a bicycle. Most cannot boast of any property after years of hard work. According to the association, these should be the concerns of GNACOPS, not external political commentary.
The association further stressed that GNACOPS has no moral obligation, authority, or standard to question or request investigations into a matter that is already being addressed. UPSTAG described the Council’s recent actions as politically motivated and hypocritical, saying GNACOPS failed to speak up under the previous administration but is now quick to act for political attention.
“We think that the state of the private school teacher is being overlooked,” Mr. Agbesi added, noting that GNACOPS should direct its energy towards improving welfare, fair wages, and professional standards within private education rather than engaging in what he called “political posturing.”
The government has already announced measures to address the KNUST SHS incident, with the Assistant Headmaster at the center of the case removed from office pending further disciplinary actions. UPSTAG said this firm response by the Ghana Education Service demonstrates that the matter is being handled appropriately and does not require any further politicization.
