Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu urges schools to respect students’ religious rights

Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has urged school authorities across the country to uphold the religious freedoms of students, emphasizing that no institution has the right to restrict students from practicing their faith.

“Every Ghanaian child is entitled to the full benefit of the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, so is the child and school,” he stated.

The Minister made this remark on Monday, March 31, 2025, while joining the Ambariyya Muslim sect in Tamale to observe Eid-ul-Fitr prayers.

His comments come amid concerns raised by the Ghana Muslim Students Association (GMSA) over an incident at Saint Roses Senior High School in Akwatia, Eastern Region.

In a March 29 press statement, GMSA expressed disappointment that the school had denied Muslim students permission to go home for Eid-ul-Fitr, despite a directive from the Ghana Education Service (GES).

Reiterating the government’s stance on religious freedom in schools, Haruna Iddrisu declared:

“I want to announce as Ghana’s Minister of Education that every child and every Ghanaian is entitled to the full benefit of all the rights enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, and therefore no school has the right to deny any Ghanaian child the right to practice their faith.
“All schools must recognize and respect the right of every Ghanaian child to profess and practice their religion.”

His statement has reignited discussions on religious tolerance in some schools, with many calling for stricter enforcement of policies that protect students’ rights to religious expression.

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