Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference
The National Catholic Laity Council of Ghana has expressed concern about Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu’s recent statement on the floor of Parliament in which he said that current debates surrounding religious practice in Christian Mission schools hinge on issues of human rights and constitutional interpretation.
According to the Council, “while we acknowledge the obligation of government to uphold the rights of every Ghanaian child, we firmly reject any attempt–direct or implied–to diminish, distort or undermine the historical identity, proprietorship and mission of Christian-founded educational institutions in Ghana. The issue at stake is far broader than an abstract human rights conversation. It touches the heart of partnership that predates the nation itself.”
The Council has endorsed the joint statement issued by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) on November 25, 2025.
“As affirmed in that statement, Christian Missions schools were established by the Churches–not the State–and their ethos, values and communal culture arise from a clearly defined Christian worldview. 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,” it added.
Continuing, the Council expressed its alignment with the GCBC-CCG position that attendance in mission schools is voluntary and parents freely choose these schools knowing their Christian identity; that the constitutional rights to freedom of religion and association protect not only individuals, but also faith-based institutions; that the integrity, discipline and excellence for which missions are known are inseparable from their Christian foundations.
Any attempt to impose parallel religious systems risks fracturing the unity, moral formation and communal discipline that define these institutions as stated by the GCBC and CCG, is also endorsed by the Laity Council.