Professor Kwaku Azar challenges mission schools on inclusion

Legal scholar, Prof Stephen Kwaku Asare, widely known as Prof Kwaku Azar, has urged the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Christian Council of Ghana to maintain the longstanding tradition of inclusivity in mission-founded public schools.

In a Facebook post on November 26, 2025, Prof Azar said the recent joint statement issued by the two Christian bodies on religious expression in mission schools requires ‘gentle but firm reflection,’ emphasising that the conversation should be guided by truth, compassion, and moral clarity.

Prof Azar recounted his own educational journey through mission schools, noting that institutions such as St Augustine’s College and St Peter’s Senior High School played a formative role in shaping his values and outlook in life.

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Although not Catholic, he said these schools embodied a Christian identity that coexisted harmoniously with the presence of students from different faiths.

He recalled that St Peter’s even accommodated a Buddhist student, affectionately called ‘More Chanting,’ who was warmly received by both staff and students.

According to him, the welcoming environment reflected a confidence in the schools’ Christian ethos rather than anxiety over religious dilution.

“That is the spirit I grew up with. That is the spirit that built trust,” he said, arguing that the tone of the recent Christian Council and Bishops’ Conference release departs from the generous tradition that defined mission education.

Prof Azar stressed that while the churches founded these schools, their integration into the public system with state funding, public admissions, and national oversight means they must uphold constitutional guarantees.

He said no Ghanaian child should be made to feel that their religious practices are inconveniences in a public educational institution.

“Public rights follow public resources,” he stated, adding that mission schools can remain Christian in ethos without restricting the religious expression of non-Christian students.

He further maintained that Christian freedom in public schools cannot supersede the rights of students of other faiths.

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Allowing Christian worship while limiting Muslim prayer, he argued, undermines both the principles of constitutional democracy and the moral foundations of the Gospel.

Calling for a return to the inclusive tradition of earlier mission education, Prof Azar said the strength of Christian schools has historically come from their openness, confidence, and respect for the dignity of every child, regardless of faith.

He concluded by urging mission schools to build bridges rather than barriers.

“Let us defend Christian heritage, yes but let us defend it in the Christian way: with welcome, with humility, and with respect for the conscience of every Ghanaian child,” he said.

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