Clear policy needed on religious practices in SHSs — Prof. Azumah

The country needs clear national policy guidelines on religious practices and observances in senior high schools (SHSs) to address growing tensions and alleged violations of students’ religious rights, the Executive Director of The Sanneh Institute (TSI), Prof. John Azumah, has said.

He said the absence of consistently applied and documented policies across mission and non-mission schools had resulted in varied practices nationwide, creating confusion, anxiety and perceptions of discrimination among students.

Prof. Azumah made the call at a national consultation on religious accommodation in second cycle schools held in Accra yesterday.

Findings

The consultation followed a nationwide study conducted by TSI between December 2024 and December 2025, which surveyed more than 6,500 students from over 50 SHSs across 12 regions and engaged about 300 school authorities.

The study presented by Dr Matthew Krabill revealed that over 80 per cent of both students and school authorities knew little or nothing about religions other than their own, despite 90 per cent of students indicating that they had friends from different faith backgrounds.

It further found that one in three students said their religious rights were sometimes violated, while another one in three said they had witnessed the religious rights of other students being violated.

Muslim and traditionalist students were twice as likely as Christian students to report that their religious rights were infringed.

Key areas of concern included the lack of dedicated worship spaces, inability to pray at prescribed times, compulsory attendance at worship services of other faiths and instances of religious bullying.

The research also showed that 62 per cent of students said attendance at worship services in their schools was compulsory.

The institute said the situation pointed to the urgent need for a nationally coordinated policy direction to guide school authorities and prevent avoidable tensions.

Recommendations

Prof. Azumah said the institute would submit recommendations to the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education for consideration.

Among the proposals were the provision of designated and properly monitored worship spaces in schools, making religious worship voluntary rather than compulsory, and ensuring that student leadership positions are open to all qualified students regardless of religious affiliation.

He also cautioned against inviting preachers who demonised other faiths, saying such practices deepened divisions instead of promoting peaceful coexistence.

Commendation

The Greater Accra Regional Director at the GES, Hajia Katumi Natogmah Attah, commended TSI for undertaking the study, which she said was timely.

She advised that the findings “should get into our educational institutions and communities where people will hear, and together we work with it so that we have peaceful co-existence in our secondary schools”.

Inclusive approach

The Catholic Bishop of Koforidua and Episcopal Chairman for Education of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, said the research findings were revealing and necessary for national reflection.