Wesley Girls Muslim Student’s fasting impasse: GNECC urges calm

The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has urged stakeholders in the impasse over the right of a Wesley Girls High School Muslim student to fast during the Ramadan to resolve the matter in with objectivity in calmness.

“We believe that each party in their respective viewpoints do wish the best for the child concerned. But this can only be done in the midst of calm,” it said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, and signed by its Executive Council Chairman, Mr Joseph Atsu Homadzi.

“History has shown that, whenever decisions were made out of turbulence, other problems were given birth to,” it said.

The Coalition also urged the stakeholders, especially policymakers and implementers, to agree on developing national policies to serve as a guide to the issue and similar issues to ensure that all stakeholders adhered to the resolution in the best interest of the child.

The GNECC, however, expressed concern that the Wesley Girls High School did not heed the GES’ directive to allow the student to fast during this Ramadan.

This, it said, might set a precedence for other schools to disregard the Supervisory Agency in other matters.

“Moreover, the Coalition believes there is the need for all stakeholders to seek guiding interpretations to the provisions in the 1992 Constitution, Article 14, (1) (e) which indicates that “no person shall be deprived of their personal liberty/rights except: for the purpose of the education or welfare of a person who has not attained the age of eighteen years”.