A Deputy Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Freda Prempeh, has advised female students to stop trooping into the offices of lecturers for favours.
She equally condemned lecturers who take advantage of their students who come to them for help.
“If the ladies did not present themselves by seeking for favours, the lecturers would not have made advances on them.” She admonished, “There is nothing like a free launch.”
The Deputy Gender Minister was sharing her thoughts on a BBC documentary title ‘sex for grades’ featuring two West African universities – University of Ghana and University of Lagos
Two lecturers implicated in the documentary, Professor Ransford Gyampo and Dr. Paul Kwame Butakor, have been interdicted by the University of Ghana.
Madam Freda Prempeh, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tano North Constituency in the Ahafo Region, said, “it should serve as advice to all because of technology. We should be careful”.
“Prof Gyampo and Butakor did not just get up to propose to those ladies. We should advice the ladies as well because we see people on internet threatening to come after people’s husbands, which is wrong”, she explained.
“Some students have the notion that ‘use what you have to get what you want’,” the MP said, noting that young ladies are playing it out in the various universities.
Other acts
Madam Prempeh reminded Ghanaians several other acts that are wrong which must also be tackled.
“Some teaching assistants are also involved. What about money for work? What about money for grade? What about money for appointments? We must tackle and solve all these because they are happening”, she explained.
Advice to men
The Deputy Minister advised men, especially young men, to desist from such acts because it could ruin their lives.
“They [female students] could record and use it to blackmail you. They [men] should control themselves. We should be concerned with our wives and children because we can contract diseases. Any kind of STDs”.
Gender Ministry help line
Madam Prempeh noted that some people feel shy to report such things but the Ministry has made provisions for that to encourage victims to report and get redress.
Victims are entreated to call these toll-free lines 0800800800 and 0800900900 for support.