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Sex for grades: Ghana varsity says no evidence against lecturers

By Dennis Erezi
08 October 2019   |   1:52 pm
The University of Ghana has said there is no evidence that two of its lecturers captured in a BBC documentary were demanding sex in exchange for grades from female students. “If you look at the transcript that they added, there is no evidence of sex for grade," chairperson of the anti-sexual harassment committee of the…

The University of Ghana has said there is no evidence that two of its lecturers captured in a BBC documentary were demanding sex in exchange for grades from female students.

“If you look at the transcript that they added, there is no evidence of sex for grade,” chairperson of the anti-sexual harassment committee of the University of Ghana Margaret Amoakohene said in a statement.

“I agree that the lecturers misbehaved and so you will discuss these as unacceptable behaviours that should be investigated but there was no indication of sex for grades.”

Yaw Gyampo, a professor of political science, and Paul Butakor, a lecturer at the college of education, were captured in a 53-minute video documentary released by the BBC Africa Eye on Monday where they allegedly made sexual advances at female students.

Amoakohene argued that the scenes of the documentary contradict the subject of lecturers demanding sex from female students in exchange for academic grades.

In the documentary, one of BBC’s undercover journalists posed as a student seeking admission into the university for her master’s degree programme.

The lecturer Butakor on camera asked to be the supposed post-graduate student’s ‘side guy’ and pledge to help her achieve career and academic progress in the institution and placement for national service.

Amoakohene faulted the scenes, saying, “In one case, it was about the national service placement. Who needs grades at national service? She completed and she was looking for placement.”

The varsity’s sexual harassment committee chairperson also faulted the scenes involving another lecturer Gyampo in the video documentary.

“…the lady approached him and said she wanted him to be a mentor,” Amoakohene “She actually confirmed she wasn’t his student but asked that he mentors her. So where is the grade involved in this?”

But contrary to Amoakohene’s claims, there were scenes in the video where Gyampo made sexual advances to the student and later resorted to a marriage proposal to achieve his aim.

“You are able to discuss grades and sex when you find a lecturer who is dating his own students, and either unnecessarily giving them grades that they don’t deserve or marking them down because they have refused your advances,” Amoakohene said.

“But in the two cases that are cited, I don’t see sex for grades.”

Also, a lecturer and former sub-dean of the faculty of arts at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Boniface Igbeneghu, was captured on camera sexually harassing an undercover reporter who posed as a 17-year-old admission seeker in the institution.

UNILAG has since the release of the video suspended the lecturer indefinitely.

Boniface has also been stepped down from all ministerial positions at Foursquare Gospel Church where he pastors.

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