President John Mahama has called for stronger protection of religious freedom in Ghana’s schools, stressing that no student should face discrimination based on their faith.
At a meeting with the Conference of Regional Chief Imams of Ghana at the presidency, the President reminded the gathering that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all citizens. He said this right must be respected and protected in every learning environment.
According to him, the government has taken steps to address the issue through discussions led by the Interior Minister, which have resulted in the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with mission schools to ensure religious tolerance.
“We’ve also moved on to the issue of religious tolerance in schools. Ghana is a nation of diverse religions. And one of the things our constitution guarantees is the freedom of religion, freedom to worship, and freedom to express one’s religious identity.
“It is all captured in the constitution. And so there should be no grounds for religious discrimination either on the side of Christians or on the side of Muslims,” President Mahama said.
He explained that in many communities, the only available school might be a mission school, whether Christian or Muslim, and this makes tolerance even more important.
“It doesn’t help that if Christian children are in a Muslim school, they should be forced to adopt Islam, the same way if a Christian school is in a predominantly Muslim community. It should not compel the students to not express their religion. And so we’ve had those discussions.
“The Minister of Interior has led the process, and we’ve signed some MOUs on religious tolerance, especially in mission schools,” he added.
The Secretary to the Conference of Regional Imams, Alhaji Sullah Abdullah Quondah, thanked the President for what he described as significant achievements for the Muslim community. In particular, he praised the additional holiday granted for Eid al-Fitr.
“This mandate is an expression of the confidence the people of Ghana have in you. You indeed have demonstrated that the trust and the confidence the people have in you are virtuous. We also wish to express our profound appreciation to you for fulfilling the promise you made to us at the third National Conference of Imams in Kumasi in 2023, notably the additional holiday for Eid al-Fitr.
“We pray that your intention to improve the human resource base of the Muslim Ummah in the country is materialised. That is professional training and recruitment of Arabic teachers for Islamic Education Unit schools in the country,” Alhaji Quondah said.
He also expressed gratitude for the government’s support in establishing the first Islamic College of Education in Ghana and Africa Al Farouk College of Education during President Mahama’s first term.
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