The Ministry of Education has urged tertiary institutions to ensure the effective implementation of anti-sexual harassment policies to protect students and staff.

Deputy Director of the Tertiary Directorate at the Ministry, Harriet Krakani, said the existence of policies alone was not enough to address sexual harassment in educational institutions.

She stressed the need for institutions to establish effective prevention, reporting and support systems that allow students and staff to report incidents and access appropriate assistance.

“Government is unequivocal in its position that sexual harassment has no place in our educational institution,” she said.

Harriet Krakani made the remarks at a multi-tertiary stakeholder conference in Accra on strengthening survivor-centred sexual harassment prevention and response in tertiary institutions.

The conference, organised by the Perfector of Sentiments (POS) Foundation and Amplify Change, was held on the theme: “From Policy to Practice: Strengthening Survivor-Centred Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response in Tertiary Institutions.”

She said sexual harassment undermines the dignity and wellbeing of individuals, affects the educational experience of students and staff, and could erode confidence in tertiary institutions.

“Our response must therefore go beyond dealing with incidents after they occur. We must create institutional cultures where sexual harassment is actively prevented, reporting is encouraged, survivors are treated with dignity and confidentiality and perpetrators are held accountable,” she said.

Harriet Krakani noted that the real measure of an institution’s anti-sexual harassment policy was whether students and staff could confidently access reporting, support and referral mechanisms when needed.

“The real test is whether these policies are effectively implemented and whether students and staff can confidently access appropriate reporting, support and referral mechanisms when they need them,” she said.

She said the government, through the Ministry of Education and its agencies, remained committed to strengthening safety and inclusiveness within the tertiary education system.

She further disclosed that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) had developed guidelines for anti-sexual harassment policies in tertiary institutions.

According to her, the guidelines provide a framework for prevention, reporting and response, protection and enforcement.

The Ministry is therefore calling on tertiary institutions to move beyond policy development and ensure that the measures are effectively implemented to create safe learning environments for students and staff.