Wesley Girls, Muslim students impasse: Enforce your rules – Muntaka to GES

Muntaka Mubarak, a member of the Muslim caucus in Parliament is urging the Ghana Education Service to enforce its rules to ensure that students in Senior High Schools suffer no discrimination due to their religion.

There has been a stand-off between the parents of some students of the Wesley Girls’ High School and the institution.

The school’s decision to prevent the students from participating in the ongoing Ramadan fasting has been heavily condemned by some leading Muslim figures.

The Ghana Education Service issued a statement, ordering the school to allow the students carry out their religious obligations.

“The Ghana Education Service, therefore, directs authorities of Wesley Girls High School as well as any other school to allow any such student who wishes to fast for any religious reason to do so.”

“The parents of such student are also directed to write to the school indicating that the school shall not be held liable for any health condition of the student as a result of the fast. Staff, students and the general public are to take note”.

But this directive has been rejected by the school and the Methodist Church of Ghana.

In a statement, the church said it took a “strong exception” to the directive stressing that it “cannot accede to the unilateral directive issued by the Ghana Education Service.”

Speaking in a CitiNews interview, the Asawase MP charged the GES to implement its rules to safeguard the rights of the students.

He stated that enforcement of the rules will help the students practice their faith without any fear of discrimination.

“We are worried about the sheer disregard to the concerns of others. We are worried about all the efforts we have made and the assurance by the presiding bishop. We are shocked. The statement they have issued has really sent a shock to us, and we believe that GES has to enforce the rules because failure to enforce the rules means everybody will have to do his own thing and I do not think that will augur well for the co-existence and unity of us as a country.”

“If GES fails [to enforce laws], they will be setting another bad precedent. I can bet you most of the Islamic schools will begin to have sharia as their rules. I think that GES must stand its grounds and enforce its rules.”