Religious Tolerance Vs Core Identity

When in Rome, Do You Truly Do as the Romans Do?'

I vividly remember the instructive inscriptions on my admission letter to the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Legon. The most fundamental part of it says, “ Your ward is required to adhere to all rules and regulations.” The school's name itself reflected its background as a mission school, and my expectations were not far from attending church services or participating in any form of Christian worship. Even though I was a Christian, the practices were still different from my denomination so just imagine any other religion. The recent issue with Wesley Girls’ High School is a battle between preserving a core identity and tolerating other religions.

This is centered on whether or not Muslim students should be allowed to fast and pray in a Methodist institution. Well, some argue that every individual should find an institution that best suits their faith, and for others too, Wesley Girls’ is a public school which depends on the funds of the government to run, and as such must accommodate every Ghanaian child as long as the taxpayers comprise all religions. According to Wesley Girls’, the issue of denying them the right to fast is simply to prevent medical emergencies and they also made it clear that exeat was given for Eid al-Fitr. Unfortunately, the Minister of the Interior has confirmed that girls were made to spy on other girls who pray during a discussion on JoyNews.

Now let me establish what I believe could be a win for both conflicting sides. Wesley Girls’ has to offer a partial tolerance to other religious groups. Partial? Yes. Partial because the long-standing value system of Wesley Girls’ is still needed as a tool they claim has shaped the school for ages but as we grow into a more diverse world, inclusion matters a lot, and as such they should be given a degree of freedom of religion. In the meantime, the government should ensure equitable funding for non-denominational schools to expand them as a focal point of promoting religious tolerance which is the key to national cohesion. With this, we can finally have mission schools existing with unadulterated values while the Ghanaian child can also enjoy their right to education, culminating in National Unity.