By: Angela Adu-Asomaning
The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, has emphasized the importance of a unified approach to managing diversity in schools. He called for an education system that values and empowers all students, regardless of their religious background.
Dr. Apaak urged schools to foster inclusion, tolerance, and peaceful cohesion, creating learning environments where differences serve to unite students rather than divide them.
He said this at the official launch of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to guide religious tolerance in government-assisted and private mission schools in Ghana.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), developed by the Conference of Managers of Education Units (COMEU), was facilitated by the National Peace Council and validated last year. This was signed by 13 faith-based groups and the Ghana Education Service to promote religious tolerance and inclusivity in schools.
It also provides clear guidelines for mission schools to create safe, inclusive, and non-discriminatory learning environments for all students irrespective of their religious backgrounds. Unveiled in Accra, the MOU represents a unified national commitment to harmony in a multi-faith society.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak stressed the ministry’s preparedness to fully implement the policy with the collective support of all stakeholders.
“The Ministry of Education is fully committed to the successful implementation of this MOU. We will work together with the National Peace Council, COMEU, and religious groups to roll out sensitization programs that raise awareness about the provisions of the MOU. These programs will empower teachers to model inclusivity, equip students to embrace diversity, and engage communities in building stronger, cohesive, and resilient societies,” he noted.
Minister for the Interior Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak urged all stakeholders to uphold fairness and respect for all faiths to preserve the peaceful coexistence that defines Ghanaians.
“The memorandum of understanding provides a national framework for managing religious diversity in mission schools. It is not merely a set of guidelines but a clarion call to uphold the principle of inclusivity, fairness, and respect for all regardless of religious affiliation,” he added.
Chairman of the National Peace Council, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, explained the rationale behind the launch of the MOU, adding that a nationwide sensitization campaign on the policy will ensure harmony in all schools.
“We have to start the process of sensitization together with the regional directors of education. In the various 16 regions, we have branches of the national peace council. The Regional Peace Council will engage them to do the sensitization,” he emphasized.
There were goodwill messages from the Conference of Managers of Education Units (COMEU) and Christian and Muslim representatives.
