Fauziatu Adam,
Journalist
Freedom of worship in schools and institutions.
"Discrimination against the holder of one faith means retaliatory discrimination against men of other faiths. The inevitable result of entering upon such a practice would be an abandonment of our real freedom of conscience and a revision to the dreadful conditions of religious dissension which in so many lands have proved fatal to true liberty, to true religion and to all advance in civilisation," Roosevelt's letter on religious liberty.
The importance of religion in the development of the student personality is underscored by an Act of Parliament which is generally known as the Education Act of 1961. Section 22 of the Act guarantees every pupil or student, freedom of worship and stipulates that no student should be denied admission to school on account of his religion.
The Act further states that unless a parent agrees, no pupil or student should either be made to attend, or forced or refrained from attending any form of religious gathering or worship, or be compelled to undergo any form of instruction in religious subjects.
But what do we see today in schools, especially in some of the renowned second-cycle institutions? Students are denied freedom of worship and even forced to practise other religions against their will.
Let us cast our minds back to the unfortunate death of Master Mustapha Abdul Gafar, who was allegedly abstaining from compulsory church service on March 16, 2008 on the campus of Adisadel College in Cape Coast.
An educational institution in the real sense is an environment which operates within the rules and regulations designed to inculcate in its students, the virtue of discipline, as well as respect for the authority of rule of law.
Again, I do not remember seeing any pouring of libation by a traditional ruler during the 53rd and 54th Independence Anniversary celebrations, and I remember the editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt, raised that issue.
I do not think trying to solve this petty issue about our religious background will promote the peace we are enjoying as Ghanaians.
Our country, Ghana, does not belong to any one religion. It belongs to Ghanaians and Ghanaians should make sure that they live in peace.
I understand that schools such as the Adisadel College and the rest were established by missionaries to promote the principles of Christianity in the then Gold Coast.
But come to think of it, Ghana has come a long way to promote democracy and there are rules and regulations governing every movement in the country, as stipulated in the 1992 Constitution.
Even though every student is guaranteed the freedom to worship as his or her faith stipulates, religious intolerance and conflicts leading to disruptions in academic work in the schools must not be tolerated.
People should realise that times have changed and individuals have come to appreciate each other's ideologies and beliefs. The Government should discipline offending heads of such institutions in order to bring the practice to an end.
The 1992 Constitution does not only guarantee freedom of worship but enjoins the state to actively integrate the Ghanaian society by avoiding discrimination or prejudices in matters such as ethnicity, gender and religion, then no one has any right to condemn or ‘ban’ the manifestations of the beliefs of other sects, let alone prescribe what should be done.
Let’s condemn any act of religious intolerance against any group, Muslim or non-Muslim in any educational institution, whether government, Islamic, mission or private.
I believe that education is the key to the empowerment of the human resources of this country. It is therefore the responsibility of all and sundry to ensure an unbiased and favourable condition for all students, irrespective of gender, creed, religious or ethnicity to enable them pursue their academic dreams to the fullest without any fear.
Journalist
Freedom of worship in schools and institutions.
"Discrimination against the holder of one faith means retaliatory discrimination against men of other faiths. The inevitable result of entering upon such a practice would be an abandonment of our real freedom of conscience and a revision to the dreadful conditions of religious dissension which in so many lands have proved fatal to true liberty, to true religion and to all advance in civilisation," Roosevelt's letter on religious liberty.
The importance of religion in the development of the student personality is underscored by an Act of Parliament which is generally known as the Education Act of 1961. Section 22 of the Act guarantees every pupil or student, freedom of worship and stipulates that no student should be denied admission to school on account of his religion.
The Act further states that unless a parent agrees, no pupil or student should either be made to attend, or forced or refrained from attending any form of religious gathering or worship, or be compelled to undergo any form of instruction in religious subjects.
But what do we see today in schools, especially in some of the renowned second-cycle institutions? Students are denied freedom of worship and even forced to practise other religions against their will.
Let us cast our minds back to the unfortunate death of Master Mustapha Abdul Gafar, who was allegedly abstaining from compulsory church service on March 16, 2008 on the campus of Adisadel College in Cape Coast.
An educational institution in the real sense is an environment which operates within the rules and regulations designed to inculcate in its students, the virtue of discipline, as well as respect for the authority of rule of law.
Again, I do not remember seeing any pouring of libation by a traditional ruler during the 53rd and 54th Independence Anniversary celebrations, and I remember the editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt, raised that issue.
I do not think trying to solve this petty issue about our religious background will promote the peace we are enjoying as Ghanaians.
Our country, Ghana, does not belong to any one religion. It belongs to Ghanaians and Ghanaians should make sure that they live in peace.
I understand that schools such as the Adisadel College and the rest were established by missionaries to promote the principles of Christianity in the then Gold Coast.
But come to think of it, Ghana has come a long way to promote democracy and there are rules and regulations governing every movement in the country, as stipulated in the 1992 Constitution.
Even though every student is guaranteed the freedom to worship as his or her faith stipulates, religious intolerance and conflicts leading to disruptions in academic work in the schools must not be tolerated.
People should realise that times have changed and individuals have come to appreciate each other's ideologies and beliefs. The Government should discipline offending heads of such institutions in order to bring the practice to an end.
The 1992 Constitution does not only guarantee freedom of worship but enjoins the state to actively integrate the Ghanaian society by avoiding discrimination or prejudices in matters such as ethnicity, gender and religion, then no one has any right to condemn or ‘ban’ the manifestations of the beliefs of other sects, let alone prescribe what should be done.
Let’s condemn any act of religious intolerance against any group, Muslim or non-Muslim in any educational institution, whether government, Islamic, mission or private.
I believe that education is the key to the empowerment of the human resources of this country. It is therefore the responsibility of all and sundry to ensure an unbiased and favourable condition for all students, irrespective of gender, creed, religious or ethnicity to enable them pursue their academic dreams to the fullest without any fear.
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