Religious Suppression Suit: Wesley Girls’ Board Rejects Allegations of Discrimination

The Methodist Church in Ghana has rejected allegations of discrimination against non-Christian students in Wesley Girls’ High School (WGHS).

In a statement, the proprietor of the school said it considers discrimination to be fundamentally inconsistent with Christian teaching.

It is “therefore incompatible with our mission. WGHS has always openly professed its faith in God and maintained its Methodist traditions, as is guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution,” the Board said in a statement.

Rather, it said the ethos of the school requires all admitted students to show respect for its traditions and adhere to an established framework carefully designed from inception to foster unity, discipline, academic excellence, uniformity and shared experience.

According to the Board, maintaining a coherent structure has become imperative as the student population grows and diversity increases,

This, it said, allows all students to live, study, worship, eat, and participate in school life in a manner that is orderly, manageable, and fair.

Acknowledging the constitutional right of every student to practice her faith or non-faith within the framework of WGHS traditions, it stated that creating a parallel system will “inevitably lead to segregation and undermine the cohesion and collective traditions of the school.”
It was for this reason, the Conference of Managers of Education Units (COMEU), facilitated by the National Peace Council developed and executed an MOU for Government Assisted-Schools and Private Mission Schools on April 15, 2024, outlining a framework for the harmonious coexistence of students of different faiths within mission schools, it said, adding that it has observed the terms till date.

Parties to the MoU included the Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Anglican, Assemblies of God Church, Ghana Baptist Convention, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Office of the National Chief Imam, Ahmadiyya Mission, Salvation Army, Garrison Education and Police Education.

A suit, filed in December 2024 by private legal practitioner Shafic Osman, invokes the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Articles 21(1)(b) and 130(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution.

The action challenges the school’s alleged restrictions on Muslim students, including claims that they are barred from wearing the hijab, fasting during Ramadan, and observing other Islamic practices, actions the plaintiffs argue violate constitutional protections for religious freedom.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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