Former Tamale Central MP, Inusah Fuseini, has argued that longstanding educational disparities between religious groups in Ghana stem not from choice but from the country’s colonial history.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, November 28, Mr. Fuseini’s comments followed revelations that the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has formally responded to a lawsuit challenging what plaintiffs describe as discriminatory religious practices at Wesley Girls’ Senior High School (SHS).
The suit, filed on December 24, 2024, by private legal practitioner Shafic Osman, invokes the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Articles 2(1)(b) and 130(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution.
The action challenges the school’s alleged restrictions on Muslim students, including claims that they are barred from wearing the hijab, fasting during Ramadan, and observing other Islamic practices—actions the plaintiffs argue violate constitutional protections for religious freedom.
The Attorney General’s response has reignited national debate about the relationship between religion, education, and state policy.
Mr. Fuseini stressed that educational investments by various religious groups were shaped by historical circumstances, not deliberate neglect by any faith community.
“It was not a matter of choice that some schools decided to invest or some religions decided to invest in education and others did not,” he said. “The education that we have is tied to our colonial legacy.”
He explained that Africa’s history of formal learning predates Western involvement, highlighting Mali’s early scholarly leadership.
“The first university in Africa was built by Muslims in Mali,” he noted, adding that Islamic scholarship reached the Gold Coast long before Western-style education was introduced.
According to the former MP, the apparent imbalance arose from the colonial system’s privileging of Western knowledge while sidelining existing Islamic educational traditions.
“It is by historical arrangement—the arrangement of our colonisation—where some kinds of knowledge are recognised within our setup or our state,” he explained. “Muslims did not delay in educating their children; they educated their children on the Qur’an and the Hadith. But that is not what is required for a secular country like ours.”
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