File photo of members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference
The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference and the Christian Council of Ghana have reacted to the ongoing public debate on public education and religious practices that has arisen due to a suit challenging the ban on hijabs and other Islamic rites by Wesley Girls’ Senior High School.
In a joint statement issued on November 25, 2025, the Bishops’ Conference and the Council refuted assertions that their educational institutions are totally owned by the government and thus are public institutions.
They explained that they established their mission schools on the foundation of their faith, adding that the government, recognising the vital role the schools play, came in to support by paying teaching staff and putting in place a common curriculum, which does not in any way mean the schools are now properties of the state.
“Christian mission schools were not created by the state; they arose because the different Churches—Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, and others—saw education as a central expression of our missionary mandate. We acquired the land, built the schools, trained the teachers, and shaped the ethos long before the modern State of Ghana existed.
“When the government began assisting us—primarily by paying teacher salaries and regulating curricula—it joined an already functioning system. State support, therefore, is a partnership, not a takeover. The ownership and identity of these schools reside with us. Government assistance does not diminish this identity, nor does it confer the right to alter the core religious character that defines these institutions,” part of the statement reads.
The two bodies also made the point that forcing mission schools to adopt “multiple religions” would not only lead to challenges that would affect their objective for setting up the schools, but would also amount to an infringement of their rights.
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They said that Christians also have the right to set up institutions to portray their religious beliefs.
“Our position is grounded in constitutional and legal principles, particularly the rights to freedom of association and religious liberty. These rights protect both individuals and institutions. 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 religious character of our schools is essential, not incidental. Maintaining it is both legitimate and lawful, even while welcoming students from diverse backgrounds who freely choose to join our mission,” they wrote.
The debate resurrected after the Attorney General filed a formal response to a Supreme Court suit challenging what the plaintiffs of the suit describe as discriminatory religious policies at Wesley Girls’ Senior High School. In his response, the Attorney General dismissed claims that the school is acting unlawfully, insisting that Wesley Girls’ SHS, founded and operated by the Methodist Church of Ghana, is permitted to enforce rules consistent with its Methodist principles.
According to a report by adomonline.com on November 24, 2025, he argued that the school’s faith-based identity grants it the authority to establish standards on religious conduct within the school environment, even where such standards limit the expression of other religious practices.
The suit was filed on December 24, 2024, by private legal practitioner Shafic Osman under the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction, invoking Articles 2(1)(b) and 130(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution.
It centres on allegations that Muslim students are barred from wearing the hijab, fasting during Ramadan, and observing other Islamic rites—actions the plaintiff says violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion.
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The plaintiff is seeking multiple declarations, including a ruling that the school’s policy of compelling students to practise a compulsory school religion in a public institution contravenes Articles 21(1)(b), (c), and 26 of the 1992 Constitution.
He further contends that the restrictions conflict with international human rights standards recognised under Article 33(5).
In addition to the declarations, the plaintiff wants the court to direct the Ghana Education Service to develop constitutional guidelines to regulate religious practices across all public schools.
BAI
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