Ghana is currently in the midst of a high-profile debate over religious freedom in schools after allegations emerged that Muslim students at Wesley Girls Senior High School are being restricted from fully practicing their faith, including prayer, fasting and wearing the hijab. The controversy intensified when the Supreme Court directed the school to respond to these claims, raising questions about how mission-founded schools balance their religious identity with constitutional rights.
Political leaders, religious figures, and constitutional experts are weighing in. The Interior Minister has urged schools to respect religious rights, noting that historic mission schools voluntarily accepted state support under conditions that guarantee freedom of worship. Critics argue that restricting Muslim practices in a publicly funded institution undermines Ghana’s tradition of religious tolerance.
Others including the Effia MP emphasize that no student should be pressured to change faith and that schools primarily exist for academic development, not religious enforcement.
This debate is forcing a national reassessment of how mission schools, many established during colonial times with Christian ethos, should operate in a diverse and pluralistic modern Ghana especially given constitutional protections for freedom of religion and equality.
