- “Throughout the years, schools have by and large managed to find a reasonable balanced atmosphere to enable our young people to flourish and this has served us well. The schools have evolved and adopted their practices to suit the times and I will urge we do not turn them to the places to fight ideological and religious battles.”
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says care must be taken not to turn the country’s boarding and senior high schools into ideological and religious battle grounds.
He said the situation can ultimately affect the development process of students.
Addressing the 2021 national celebration of Eid ul-Fitr at the premises of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on 13 May 2021, Akufo-Addo said boarding schools have traditionally served as the training grounds for students to learn about tolerance and religious coexistence.
“That is where (boarding schools) young Ghanaians learn to eat each other’s food, that is where they learn the songs and dance of different parts of the country, that is where they learn about each other’s religion and that is where lifelong friendships are forged. These schools must necessarily have rules and regulations that enable them to function,” Akufo-Addo said.
“Throughout the years, schools have by and large managed to find a reasonable balanced atmosphere to enable our young people to flourish and this has served us well. The schools have evolved and adopted their practices to suit the times and I will urge we do not turn them to the places to fight ideological and religious battles.”
Wesley Girls saga
One of Ghana’s premier senior secondary schools, Wesley Girls’ High School in the Central Region, has been at the centre of controversy when it declared that the school will not allow her Muslim students to fast during Ramadan period. The school’s decision resulted in the Ghana Education Service (GES) directing authorities at Wesley Girls to rescind their decision, however, the GES decision was rejected by the Methodist Church of Ghana hierarchy who are the owners of the school.
Resolution effort
“In the specific incident of one of our greatest schools, Wesley Girls’ High School, which has given rise to the recent discourse on religion, the authorities, that is Ministry of Education under its new Minister, Dr Yaw Adutwum, the leaders of the Christian and Muslim communities and the leadership of the school are engaged in solemn discussions about the way forward and I am very hopeful that a satisfactory solution will be found for one and all”.
Zongo development agenda
President Akufo-Addo said that his administration’s commitment to Muslims and the Zongo community remains resolute and that he will not relent until he evens the development equation between Zongo communities and other communities of the country.
He added that the Zongo Development Fund set up by government will continue to function perfectly and directly under his watch and the watch of the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Chief Imam
The Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, in his traditional message to the country read on his behalf by Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, urged the Muslim community in Ghana to endevour to live peaceful with other religious groupings in the country.
He also prayed for divine wisdom for the president and vice-president as they continue to work for the prosperity of the country.
Wilberforce Asare
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