Ghana’s National Catholic Laity Council (NCLC) has strongly pushed back against comments by the Minister of Education in Parliament on religious practice in Christian mission schools, describing his framing of the issue as incomplete and potentially misleading.
In a statement issued on Thursday, November 27, 2025, the NCLC said the Minister’s suggestion that the debate surrounding religious practice in mission schools is primarily a human-rights matter “diminishes, distorts and undermines” the historical identity and proprietorship of Christian-founded schools.
The three-page Statement was jointly signed by Sir John Kofi Tandoh, KSG, National Chairman; Very Rev. Fr. Gabriel Kojovi Liashiedzi, National Chaplain, NCLC & Executive Secretary, Department of Pastoral Ministry and Evangelization, Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, and Mr. Dennis Appiah-Sasraku, National Coordinator, NCLC.
According to the Council, the issue extends far beyond individual rights and touches on Ghana’s educational heritage, constitutional freedoms, and a Church–State partnership that existed long before Ghana became a nation.
The Council fully endorsed the earlier joint statement by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), which emphasized that Christian mission schools were founded, built, and operated by the churches, not the State.
“Governmental support over the decades has been a partnership, not a transfer of ownership, nor a mandate for the State to redefine the religious character of these institutions,” the NCLC said.
The Council stressed that, “Attendance in mission schools is voluntary. Parents choose these institutions precisely because of their Christian identity. Mission schools’ discipline and academic excellence are directly tied to their faith-based ethos, and imposing parallel religious structures threatens the unity and culture of these institutions”.
While acknowledging that no student should be denied their constitutional rights, the NCLC described the Minister’s comments as troubling for failing to recognize the autonomy of mission school proprietors, the voluntary nature of enrollment, the communal ethos and identity that define faith-based schools, and the practical consequences of introducing parallel religious systems.
The group warned that portraying mission schools as violators of rights is inaccurate, stressing that these schools have welcomed students of varied backgrounds for decades while maintaining their Christian formation environment.
The statement argued that the public conversation must go beyond rights-based arguments to consider broader questions: “Can an institution preserve its identity in the name of inclusion? Do faith-based schools have the constitutional freedom to operate according to their founding mission? Can voluntary attendance be used to demand changes to a school’s core character? And what becomes of the Church–State partnership if government attempts to redefine church-run institutions?”
The Council urged the Ministry of Education to uphold the 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) crafted under the guidance of the National Peace Council and COMEU, describing it as the legitimate framework for managing mission school affairs.
Concluding, the NCLC reaffirmed its commitment to peace and national unity, but declared it would remain firm in defending the heritage and identity of mission schools.
“Safeguarding the Christian identity of mission schools is not discrimination, not exclusion, and not a violation of rights,” the Council stated. “It is a rightful defence of constitutional freedoms and a holistic educational vision that has shaped millions of Ghanaian citizens.”
By Theresa Kpordzo//Newswatchgh.com
