The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has expressed disappointment over the ongoing controversy involving Wesley Girls’ Senior High School, urging religious leaders to resolve the matter through dialogue rather than litigation.
Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Carbonu described the situation as unfortunate, stressing the need for religious tolerance in Ghana.
“We have coexisted in this country for all these years. Let’s not allow our religious beliefs to divide us, especially when some people want to make it a school issue,” he said.
He suggested that the leadership of the Muslim fraternity, the Christian Council, and the Catholic Bishops Conference should come together under the auspices of the Peace Council and the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to reach a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that could operate in schools.
“After all, how many years do students stay in the school? Less than three years,” he added.
Mr. Carbonu also revealed that he had nearly called on the person who took the matter to court to withdraw the case, but friends advised him otherwise.
“I wanted him to withdraw the case to allow for an interface dialogue,” he said.
He highlighted the strong religious education units within the school system, the Catholic, Methodist, and Islamic education units which he believes can facilitate a peaceful resolution.
He expressed disappointment in Mussa Dankwah, Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics, who has publicly called for cutting state funding to the school.
“I am very disappointed. Musah Dankwah, as he is worsening the matter and pouring fire into it, is not helping. He is respected, and people trust him because of his political work, but if someone is listening, they should know that his friend Carbon is disappointed in him,” he said.
Mr. Carbonu urged that, instead of court battles, religious leadership should handle such issues.
“Let’s allow our religious leadership or any other faith that has a concern to go to these units and get the matter resolved. Trust me, they will resolve it amicably. Should we be fighting over this matter at this time and age of our lives?”
The comments come as the Supreme Court hears a case against Wesley Girls, where lawyer Shafic Osman alleges the school prevents Muslim students from praying, fasting, and practising other aspects of their faith.
The Court has ordered Wesley Girls to respond within 14 days and has permitted the civil society group Democracy Hub to join as amicus curiae.
Meanwhile, Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine has rejected claims of discrimination, asserting that the Methodist-run school retains the right to enforce rules reflecting its Christian foundation, even if this limits certain religious expressions.
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