Protecting Religious Freedom in our Schools: A call for fairness and coexistence

In the past week, national attention has returned to an important constitutional conversation: the freedom of students in Ghana’s schools to practice their religion.

This renewed focus follows the Attorney-General’s arguments in the case of Shafic Osman v. Board of Governors of Wesley Girls Senior High School & Others, where the State defends the school’s policy of limiting religious practice on campus to Methodist Christianity.

This is a sensitive issue.

It touches on the cherished identity of one of Ghana’s most respected mission schools, and at the same time tests the strength of our country’s commitment to religious rights, equality, and inclusion. For this reason, the Ghana Muslim Students Association (GMSA) believes the nation deserves clarity, calm reflection, and a solution that strengthens our unity, not our divisions.

Mission schools are part of our heritage, and so is pluralism

GMSA acknowledges fully that Wesley Girls’ Senior High School was founded by the Methodist Church, and we respect the rich Christian ethos that has shaped its excellence for decades.

Ghana’s mission schools, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Adventist, and others, have contributed immensely to discipline, character formation, and academic success.

But these schools, over time, have also become national institutions. Their classrooms are filled with students of multiple faiths who are admitted not because of religion, but because they are Ghanaian.

In a country where Muslims and Christians live side by side, work together, marry into each other’s families, and celebrate one another’s milestones, it is neither unreasonable nor disruptive for a Muslim student to pray quietly on a school campus. Religious diversity is the Ghanaian story, not a threat to it.

The Constitution Does Not Stop at the School Gate

The 1992 Constitution guarantees:

• Freedom of religion (Article 21)

• Freedom from discrimination (Article 17)

• Equal access to education (Article 25)

These rights do not evaporate simply because a student attends a mission school.

Nor do they override the right of a school to maintain its founding ethos.

What Ghana needs and what GMSA advocates is balance.

A Methodist school that allows Muslim students space to pray is not surrendering its identity. It is demonstrating leadership, hospitality, and the moral confidence of its values.

Accommodation Is Not Disruption

The misconception that allowing Muslim students to observe their faith would “undermine” a mission school is not supported by evidence.

In fact, many missionary schools across Ghana already allow:

• Designated spaces for prayer

• Accommodation during Ramadan

• Respect for dietary restrictions

• Permission for students to observe major religious obligations

These policies have not weakened Christian identity; they have enriched coexistence.

A school does not lose its character because a minority prays. It gains moral authority.

The Way Forward: Dialogue, Not Confrontation

GMSA is not advocating hostility or institutional conflict. The Methodist Church is a respected partner in Ghana’s educational landscape, and its contributions cannot be overstated. We seek cooperation, not confrontation.

However, we must also advocate firmly for the constitutional rights and dignity of students who are affected by restrictive policies. Their concerns deserve recognition, compassion, and fairness.

GMSA therefore proposes:

1. Reasonable religious accommodation in all schools, without disrupting academic programs.

2. Clear GES guidelines for managing religious diversity in educational institutions.

3. A national framework that protects the identity of mission schools while upholding student rights.

4. Dialogue between faith-based educational authorities and student bodies, to avoid future conflicts.

This issue is not a Christian vs. Muslim contest. It is a Ghanaian challenge and an opportunity to deepen our commitment to equality and peaceful coexistence.

Let This Case Strengthen Our Unity

With the Supreme Court now requiring Wesley Girls’ High School to submit its response within 14 days, the process moves forward, and so does the national conversation on safeguarding the religious rights of all students.

If our schools cannot model religious coexistence, how shall the nation learn it?

GMSA remains committed to working with the Methodist Church, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, and all student groups to ensure that every Ghanaian child, Christian or Muslim, is treated with dignity, fairness, and compassion.

Because a Ghana where every student can practice their faith freely is a stronger Ghana for all of us.