The National Peace Council (NPC) has held a stakeholder workshop to finalise the draft of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide the management of students of all religions at mission schools.
The workshop comes after the Conference of Managers of Education Units (COMEU) presented a draft document to the NPC on religious tolerance and freedom in Ghana’s private and government-assisted mission schools.Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the NPC, noted that the Peace Council was inundated with concerns about religious tolerance in schools, as some religious militants emerging across the country were escalating matters in a specific direction, and that clarity was needed on issues.
“A broader draft document was presented by COMEU to the Peace Council in 2021 but they were asked to go back and make it specific, which they did. So, we are here to look at the draft again, expand it and make it more specific.
“It is part of our mandate to resolve conflicts, so as part of the process we have to complete and come out with a document that would finalize this for us to move on as a country. There is the need for us to state clearly what the issues are,” he said.
Rev. Adu-Gyamfi pointed out that students attend school to study, not to practice religion, so education must be prioritised.
“Then, as they continue their education, they could include religious practices, because the missionaries established the schools for a reason, and they always keep to the core objectives for which they established the schools.
“So, it is important for the public and the students to understand the objectives of such schools, know what they can or cannot do while there and accommodate all those who are not like them but are also there to study,” he said.
According to the Chairman of the Peace Council, most schools accommodate all faiths, but because the public was misinformed, they made an issue out of nothing.
“We want to put some of the already existing practices in the schools in the public domain so that everybody knows what is going on.
“We must ensure to do best for what is good for the country and not end up causing harm. There are individuals in the system who are championing this course, and we must resist their agenda.
“We have coexisted as a people, and we should not allow these religious militants to come into the educational system,” he admonished.
Rev. Adu-Gyamfi stated that once finalized, the draft would be made public and handed to the Ministry of Education as an agreement signed by all Mission schools.
Very. Rev. Naana Danyame, COMEU Trustee, explained that the MoU would level the playing field for all mission schools in terms of providing excellent and holistic education, ensuring that whatever happens in one mission school is replicated across the board.
“We want uniformity devoid of conflicts, religious tolerance, and freedom, for everybody to be comfortable and study, so that the purpose for which the mission schools were established would be accomplished,” she said.
She stated that faith-based schools provide both holistic and quality education, with students graduating with good grades and moral values.
Most Rev. Paul Kwabena Boadi, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, stated that the draft was required to ease disputes over faith in mission schools.
“With this MOU we will have a roadmap that will guide us to avoid all these moments of tensions which sometimes escalate from the schools and spread through the nation.
“In sometime past on campuses we did not know some of these things. We understood ourselves, lived peacefully and came out and saw ourselves as one people. And that has been the basis of the peace we enjoy today and if we do not address what is threatening it now in our schools, we will be doing a big disservice to our country.”
Mr Bapuni Abdul-Karim, General Manager of the Islamic Education Unit, stated that the workshop would highlight what mission schools do and do not do, as COMEU addresses all education-related issues in their facilities to promote peaceful coexistence.
He also stated that the Unit would intensify its drive to promote peace and harmony among all faiths, stating, “Our schools are where we build children into the future, so we must groom them to become responsible adults in the future.”
Mr. Abdul-Karim advised heads of institutions not to consider their interests when administering their schools, but to adhere to the rules and regulations that bind them, rather than believing that they were in control and could take any action that could upset society.
GNA
