The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has called for reforms to protect students’ religious freedoms while preserving the legitimate religious ethos of mission-founded schools.
The Council said the reforms should safeguard freedom of thought, conscience, belief and religion without undermining the right to education or the distinct identity of mission-founded institutions.
The Immediate Past Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church Ghana, the Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, made the call at an Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) forum in Accra on proposals contained in the Constitutional Review Committee’s (CRC) report.
He said Article 25 of the 1992 Constitution guaranteed the right to education, while Article 21 guaranteed freedom of thought, conscience, belief and religion.
The Most Rev. Dr Boafo said mission schools had contributed significantly to Ghana’s educational development, particularly in promoting literacy and civic formation.
However, he noted that as publicly funded institutions, they were required to uphold constitutional guarantees.
He said the CCG welcomed the CRC’s proposal to strengthen protection against religious discrimination in admission, boarding, discipline, student leadership and participation in school activities.
The Most Rev. Dr Boafo, however, said educational institutions should be allowed to maintain their distinctive religious character and practices, provided these did not infringe on students’ constitutional rights.
He said the Council supported education as a national development priority and called for clear constitutional rules to govern the relationship between religious freedom and education.
