President Akufo-Addo says care must be taken not to turn the country’s boarding and senior high schools into Ideological and religious battlegrounds as it will ultimately affect the development process of the children of the country.
Addressing the 2021 national celebration of Eid ul Fitr at the premises of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) today the 13th of May 2021, President Akufo-Addo said boarding schools in our country have traditionally served as the training grounds in learning about each other, about tolerance, and losing the fear of the unknown and every effort must be made to protect the enviable blessing of religious coexistence in Ghana.
“That is where (boarding schools) young Ghanaians learn to eat each other’s food, that is where they learn the songs and dance of the different parts of the country, that is where they learn about each other’s religion and that is where lifelong friendships are forged. These schools must necessarily have rules and regulations that enable them to function” President said.
“Throughout the years, schools have by and large managed to find a reasonable balanced atmosphere to enable our young people to flourish and this has served us well. The schools have evolved and adopted their practices to suit the times and I will urge we do not turn them to the places to fight Ideological and religious battles” the President added.
Wesley Girls Saga
One of Ghana’s premier senior secondary schools, Wesley Girls High School in the Central Region, has been at the centre of controversy when it declared that the school will not allow her Muslim students to fast during the 2021 Ramadan period. The school’s decision resulted in the Ghana Education Service (GES) directing authorities at Wesley Girls to rescind its decision, however, the GES decision was rejected by the Methodist Church hierarchy who are the owners of the school.
Resolution Effort
President Akufo-Addo in his address observed that he is happy to state that “in the specific incident of one of our greatest schools, Wesley Girls High School, which has given rise to the recent discourse on religion, the authorities, that is Ministry of Education under its new Minister, Dr. Yaw Adu Twum, the leaders of the Christian and Muslim communities and the leadership of the school are engaged in solemn discussions about the way forward and I am very hopeful that a satisfactory solution will be found for one and all”.
Zongo Development Agenda
President Akufo-Addo in his address noted that his administration’s commitment to Muslims and the Zongo community remains resolute and that he will not relent until he evens the development equation between Zongo communities and other communities of the country. He added that the Zongo development fund set up by government will continue to function perfectly and directly under his watch and the watch of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
“Ignore the sad falsehood been propagated that we have given up on the Zongo development agenda. The real ion the ground show clearly that we are no track” President Akufo-Addo said.
Chief Imam
The Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, in his traditional message to the country read on his behalf by Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, urged the Muslim community in Ghana to endevour to live peacefully with other religious groupings in the country. He also prayed for divine wisdom for the President and Vice President as they continue to work for the prosperity of the country.
