In a unified declaration issued on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) have drawn a definitive line in the sand regarding the religious administration of mission schools.
Amidst the recurring national debate—sparked by incidents such as the Wesley Girls’ High School fasting controversy—regarding the rights of Muslim students to fully practice their faith in Christian institutions, the leadership of the Christian community has pushed back.
They argue that compelling mission schools to accommodate non-Christian religious practices is an infringement on the constitutional rights of the church and a threat to the discipline that defines these top-tier institutions.
A Partnership, Not a Takeover
At the heart of the joint statement, signed by Rt. Rev. Dr. Bliss Divine Agbeko (Chair, CCG) and Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi (President, GCBC), is a rejection of the notion that government funding equates to state control.
While the State pays teacher salaries and regulates the curriculum, the church leaders argue that this financial assistance does not transfer ownership or the right to alter the school’s “core religious character”.
“Our historical and proprietorship claim forms the cornerstone of our argument,” the statement reads. “Christian mission schools were not created by the state… When the government began assisting us, it joined an already functioning system. State support, therefore, is a partnership, not a takeover.”
The statement firmly clarifies that financial aid “must not be mistaken for state ownership, nor does it grant any party—governmental or religious—the authority to redefine the character of the institutions we established.”
The Constitutional Argument: Institutions Have Rights Too
Addressing the legal dimension, the Bishops and the Council presented a nuanced interpretation of the 1992 Constitution. While acknowledging individual religious freedom, they argued that institutions and religious communities also possess the Right to Freedom of Association.
The statement contends that forcing Christian schools to dilute their identity to accommodate other faiths is, in itself, a violation of the Church’s liberty.
“As Christian communities, we have the constitutional right to operate schools that express our faith. Expecting us to suppress the Christian identity of our schools to accommodate every religious group would infringe upon this freedom,” the leaders asserted.
They emphasised that the maintenance of a specific religious character is “essential, not incidental” to their operation and is fully protected under the law.
Practical Challenges and “Fractured” Discipline
Beyond the legal arguments, the statement highlighted the administrative chaos that would ensue if mission schools were forced to accommodate the specific obligations of multiple religions, such as Islamic prayer schedules or dietary restrictions during fasting.
The Council and Conference listed several “practical challenges” that they claim are not merely hypothetical:
- Administrative Burdens: Adjusting academic timetables to suit prayer times.
- Infrastructure: Allocating specific prayer rooms for different faiths.
- Uniformity: Revising dress codes which currently ensure equality.
“Permitting separate religious practices, uniforms, and prayer schedules would fracture the communal unity and discipline that underpin our school’s ethos,” the statement warned. “A single, unified school culture serves the entire student body far more effectively than a fragmented environment in which students operate within separate religious frameworks.”
The Voluntary Nature of Enrollment
The Christian leaders also took issue with the demands for change coming from parents and students who voluntarily chose these institutions.
They argued that because the schools are known for their Christian worldview and academic excellence, parents accept the package “from the outset”.
“It is unreasonable for anyone to demand that we change our core character to accommodate their religious preferences,” the statement noted, citing the availability of alternatives such as fully public schools, Islamic schools, and private secular institutions.
The 2024 Memorandum of Understanding
The statement also referenced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) validated on April 15, 2024.
Developed by the Conference of Managers of Education Units (COMEU) with support from the National Peace Council, the MoU was intended to guide Government-Assisted Mission Schools.
According to the GCBC and CCG, this document already affirms the “long-standing partnership” and affirms that inclusivity and tolerance must exist “within the established framework of our schools”—implying that current school rules regarding fasting and worship spaces are already compliant with agreed standards.
Conclusion: A Warning on Future Partnerships
The release concluded with a stark warning regarding the future of Church-State relations in development.
The Churches have long been pillars of national development, providing healthcare and social services alongside education.
The leaders cautioned that attempts to override their religious identity risk “damaging this longstanding relationship and discouraging future partnerships that benefit the nation.”
“To demand that we secularise our environment or remove Christian practices is to undermine the foundational mission that brought these institutions into being,” the statement concluded.
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