Former NEIP CEO Kofi Ofosu Nkansah says Ghana must adopt a unified national framework governing religious activities in senior high schools to prevent recurring conflicts, such as the Wesley Girls–Muslim students dispute.
Speaking on Metro TV, he argued that many schools already have models that ensure peaceful coexistence without undermining mission traditions.
“Let’s adopt the models of other schools which have done it,” he said, urging the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to coordinate best practices.
Nkansah recommended that headmasters, former school leaders and faith-based stakeholders develop a standardised system to balance compulsory school activities with denominational freedom.
“Let them go into a room and decide what has worked best over the years… so that we can all reach a middle ground,” he said.
He proposed that after the court ruling, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service create a comprehensive code to guide religious practice across SHSs.
“We should draft a comprehensive framework of religious practice… which will then govern and regulate how we practice our faith on the various campuses,” he explained.
According to him, the absence of a unified code leaves individual school administrations with excessive discretion.
“Headmaster A from school A, headmaster B from school B won’t just get up and say that today… everybody should stop practicing this faith or creed,” he remarked.
Nkansah warned that leaving policies fragmented risks misunderstanding and tension even though Ghana has maintained strong interfaith harmony.
He pointed to decades of peaceful coexistence in schools and society as evidence that workable solutions already exist.
“We have become a model for peaceful interreligious coexistence,” he said, calling for safeguards that preserve this national strength.
