The Proprietor of Wesley Girls' High School (WGHS), the Methodist Church of Ghana, has reacted to the ongoing debate over the school's alleged discrimination of students of divergent faiths, particularly muslims, insisting this was inconsistent with the church and school's traditions.

In their statement, the church said they had learned about the latest allegations through the media, and were "taking steps to obtain the official records of all proceedings" concerning the "pending suit in the Supreme Court intituled Shafic Osman v. The Board of Governors, Attorney-General & Ghana Education Service" over the incident.

In the meantime, the church debunked some misconceptions, firstly noting that "it is important to restate the position of The Methodist Church Ghana regarding the unfortunate allegation that WGHS, as a government-assisted school, is a "public school," engaging in discriminatory practices against students of other faiths".

Diverse Student/Alumni Body 

The church emphasised that for 189 years, WGHS had opened its doors to all students, "without regard to race, creed religion, or background.

"Over the years, WGHS has educated Methodists, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, Eckists, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, Agnostics, Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, and many others who have gone on to contribute meaningfully to society."

The church said they considered "discrimination to be fundamentally inconsistent with Christian teaching, and, therefore, incompatible with our mission".

Rights Are A Two-way Street

The church asserted they had rights to proclaim and practice their faith and "Methodist traditions, as is guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution," arguing that government assistance and "partnership has never altered the school's foundations Methodist character".

"We recognise and respect the constitutional right of every student to practice her faith or non-faith," they added, caveating this had to be done "within the framework of WGHS traditions".

The Methodist Church Ghana stressed that while they had rights and acknowledged that of students' on the WSHS campus, they had no desire "to create a parallel system where some students of different faith groups eat, sleep, wake, study and live separately" due to their unique faith.

The church explained that this "would inevitably lead to segregation and undermine the cohesion and collective traditions of the school".

Effort to Ensure Peace

"For this reason, the Conference of Managers of Education Units (COMEU), facilitated by the National Peace Council, including the Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Anglican, Assemblies of God Church, Ghana Baptist Convention, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Office of the National Chief Imam, Ahmadiyya Mission, Salvation Army, Garrison Education and Police Education developed and executed an MOU for Government Assisted-Schools and Private Mission Schools on 15 April 2024, outlining a framework for the harmonious coexistence of students of differen faiths within mission schools, which terms we have fully adhered to till date," the church said.

The church appreciated the solidarity, so far, from "the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference and Christiar Council of Ghana, the Anglican Church of Ghana, other ecumenical bodies and organisations or this matter".

Commitment to Resolution 

In conclusion, the church emphasised their "treasured Wesleyan heritage admits of no discrimination whatsoever as attested by our known respect for other traditions and faiths, and assured the public that "we have not detracted from our known values of sound education, backed by respect and sound values that has informed our mission dating as far back as 1835".

"The Methodist Church Ghana remains committed to dialogue and collaboration with all relevant stakeholders to ensure peace, understanding, and mutual respect among all faiths and traditions," the church said.

Read the entire statement below: