What strikes me most in the Ministry of Education scandal is not only the allegation itself, a senior official accused of sexually harassing women under his authority, but the way the institution has responded to it. For months, the Ombudswoman has been asking for the case file. For months, the ministry has refused to hand it over, insisting on “legal clearance” from the Attorney General. The delay has provoked outrage in Parliament and raised suspicions of a cover-up.
What stands out is not the tug-of-war over the Ombudsman’s request. I am among those who believe that, eventually, the documents will be released and justice will find its way. What shocks me is what happens in the meantime, when the truth starts to surface and the system’s top priority is not remorse, but damage control.
Instead of thousand apologies. Instead of suspending the official, or even asking whether he belongs behind bars. Instead of protecting the women who endured this ordeal daily under a supervisor’s authority. The focus has been on shielding the ministry’s reputation, plugging leaks, shaping headlines, containing fallout.
That is where the rot multiplies. Because every time institutions react to exposure by circling the wagons, they send a message: image matters more than accountability. Safeguarding the hierarchy comes before safeguarding the vulnerable. Silence, not justice, is the priority.
This instinct to protect the institution over the people it serves corrodes trust. If you cannot show care for victims, then at the very least show resolve to ensure it never happens again.
I do not know this particular person's details. But it is clear this is not the first time teachers have been powerless under supervisors. Many have been left without a choice, forced to act as personal assistants to those meant to support them. I can tell you stories.
So this is not just one case or one official. It is about a culture that enables abuse of authority. The ministry’s energy should not be spent on reputation management but on building safeguards, enforcing accountability, and removing predators from positions of power.
Justice may eventually surface. But if exposure is treated as a PR problem rather than a moral reckoning, the wound runs far deeper than one case.
Imagine: this is the ministry where we entrust our children to learn values.
