Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, has said his ministry will not deny any Ghanaian the opportunity to practice any religion.
The Education Minister stressed that the government will ensure no student is deprived of their right to practise their religion.
According to him, Wesley Girls’ Muslim restrictions contradict the international human rights standards and Ghana’s Constitution.
His statement was in reaction to a lawsuit filed by lawyer Shafic Osman, which alleges that Muslim students at Wesley Girls’ High School are being prevented from observing their faith.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, Haruna Iddrisu stated, “There is some ongoing debate on restrictions on Muslim students in Wesley Girls, which conflicts with international human rights standards and even standards expected of us in Ghana’s Constitution and under Article 33(5) and 26(1) of the Constitution.
“We have a duty to uphold the rights of every Ghanaian child and to uphold the rights of every Ghanaian citizen. No right is divisible. We will not countenance any action by any person to deny any Ghanaian girl the opportunity to practice any religion,” he said.
It will be recalled that, in December 2024, Shafic Osman, a Ghanaian lawyer and PhD candidate at the London School of Economics, sued Wesley Girls’ Senior High School and the Government at the Supreme Court.
The case filed cited Wesley Girls’ restricting Muslim students from wearing the hijab, fasting during Ramadan, and practising other aspects of their faith.
Shafic Osman argued that a public school cannot lawfully restrict the religious rights of Muslim students nor compel them to practise a faith they do not subscribe to.
He grounded his case in the Constitution and international human rights principles, arguing that Wesley Girls’ rules violate Ghana’s constitutional protections for religious freedom.
However, Dominic Ayine, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, has responded to a legal challenge over religious rules at Wesley Girls’ Senior High School (SHS).
According to the Attorney General, Wesley Girls is not a public school in the ordinary sense. It is a school owned by the Methodist Church but managed and funded by the government of Ghana.
Also, the Supreme Court has ordered the Wesley Girls Senior High School to formally respond to allegations that it prevents Muslim students from practising their religion in the school.
On November 25, 2025, the Supreme Court gave Wesley Girls 14 days to provide answers to the claims made against them by private legal practitioner, Shafic Osman.
Also, the Attorney-General, during the sitting, applied to withdraw and replace an earlier Statement of Case.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has granted Democracy Hub permission to join the case against Wesley Girls’ Senior High School.
The Apex court ruling allows Democracy Hub, represented by Oliver Barker-Vormawor, to contribute to the legal arguments to support the Court’s deliberations.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor is expected to offer his perspectives on allegations that the school prevents Muslim students from practising their faith while compelling them to participate in Methodist religious activities.
The court, however, ordered that Democracy Hub may only file its arguments after all parties have completed filing their documents.
Watch the video below:
The Education Minister, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has emphasized that government is committed to protecting every student’s right to practice their religion, following a legal complaint by lawyer Shafic Osman claiming that Muslim students at Wesley Girls’ High School are being… pic.twitter.com/sBlQtv5zHN
— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) November 25, 2025