Wesley Girls’ Senior High School (SHS), a prestigious Methodist-affiliated all-girls boarding school in Cape Coast, Ghana, founded in 1836, has long enforced rules rooted in its Christian heritage.
These include mandatory attendance at Christian chapel services, Bible studies, and restrictions on practices like fasting during Ramadan for Muslim students—policies justified by the school as essential for maintaining discipline, health, and academic focus.
The institution receives government funding as a public-assisted school, which has fueled debates over whether such rules violate Ghana’s constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and non-discrimination.
This issue has simmered for years, notably erupting in 2021 when the school barred Muslim students from fasting, prompting intervention from the Ghana Education Service (GES) to allow it. The Methodist Church, which owns and operates the school, rejected the directive, emphasizing its right to uphold doctrinal standards.
The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) also defended the policies, citing signed undertakings by parents acknowledging the school’s Methodist nature.The Current Supreme Court CaseThe latest escalation began in late December 2024, when private legal practitioner Shafic Osman (also referred to as Shafiq Usman in some reports) filed a suit at Ghana’s Supreme Court on behalf of a Muslim student and affected families.
The plaintiffs argue that Wesley Girls’ policies—such as compelling non-Christian students to participate in Methodist rituals and prohibiting Islamic observances—breach several articles of the 1992 Constitution, including:
- Article 21(1)(b): Freedom of thought, conscience, and belief.
- Article 17: Equality before the law and non-discrimination on grounds of religion.
- Article 26: Freedom of religious practice.
- Article 12 and 56: Broader rights to dignity and non-imposition of religious programs in public-funded institutions.
The suit names three respondents: the Board of Governors of Wesley Girls’ SHS, the GES, and the Attorney-General (AG). Osman seeks declarations that the policies are unconstitutional, an immediate halt to their enforcement, and a directive for the GES to create nationwide guidelines ensuring religious inclusivity in schools.
The Coalition of Muslim Organisations, Ghana (COMOG) has publicly endorsed the case, calling it a stand against “systematic religious discrimination” and arguing that government-funded schools cannot impose one faith on diverse students.
Public discourse, including on platforms like Reddit’s r/ghana, highlights tensions: supporters of the suit stress Ghana’s secular constitution and the hypocrisy of using public funds for religious exclusivity, while defenders invoke the school’s historical autonomy and warn against eroding denominational education.
The Attorney-General’s Defense (November 24, 2025)On November 24, 2025—the current date—the AG’s office, led by Dominic Ayine (Attorney-General and Minister for Justice), filed a formal response defending Wesley Girls’ SHS.
The AG refutes the plaintiffs’ claims of unlawfulness, asserting that the school, as a denominational institution established and managed by the Methodist Church of Ghana, is constitutionally entitled to enforce rules aligned with its founding principles and doctrines. Key points from the response include:
- Institutional Autonomy: Under Ghana’s framework for assisted mission schools, religious bodies retain control over faith-based policies, provided they do not contradict national laws.
- No Violation of Rights: The rules are presented as uniform for all students (regardless of entry faith) to foster a cohesive environment, not as targeted discrimination.
- Precedent and Balance: The AG argues that upholding these policies preserves the school’s legacy of excellence while respecting Ghana’s multi-faith society—echoing former President Akufo-Addo’s 2021 call for boarding schools to promote tolerance without ideological battles.
This filing marks a pivotal moment, as the AG’s stance effectively backs the school and church against the constitutional challenge. The Supreme Court has yet to schedule hearings, but the case could set precedents for religious practices in over 200 similar denominational schools across Ghana.
This dispute underscores Ghana’s ongoing navigation of secularism versus religious heritage in education. Critics, including COMOG, demand stricter separation if schools accept state funds, potentially leading to policy reforms. Proponents fear it could dilute cultural and moral education in mission schools. As the case unfolds, it may influence national guidelines on inclusivity, especially amid rising interfaith dialogues.
