By Dorcas Stephens, GNA
Accra, Feb. 12, GNA – Hajia Katumi Natogmah Attah, Director of Education for the Greater Accra Region, has urged stakeholders to promote religious tolerance in schools and communities to strengthen peaceful coexistence in Ghana.
She said fostering tolerance in schools would help children understand its importance and encourage them to respect and accept the religious beliefs of their peers.
The Education Director made the call during a sensitisation workshop, organised by the National Peace Council (NPC) on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) designed to guide religious tolerance in schools.
The workshop, which is the first to be held following the launch of the MoU by the NPC, was on the theme “Promoting Religious Tolerance in Schools.”
The MoU, launched on September 4, 2025, represents a collaboration between the Government and religious missions in the provision and management of unit schools.
The partnership has played a pivotal role in shaping Ghana’s educational landscape, from the era of castle schools to the establishment of mission schools.
The MoU is binding on all government-assisted and private mission schools across the country.
Hajia Attah emphasised that followers of the country’s major religions, Islam and Christianity, must be educated to coexist peacefully and tolerate one another to safeguard the rights of all learners.
“The major religions we have are Islam and Christianity. We need to tolerate each other. Whether Christian or Muslim, we must respect one another,” she said.
She also highlighted the need for students to respect one another’s forms of worship to promote tolerance, ensure a safe learning environment, prevent discrimination on religious grounds, and strengthen social cohesion and national peace.
Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, Board Member of the National Peace Council (NPC), encouraged parents and teachers to nurture tolerance both at home and in schools to foster healthy relationships among learners from diverse religious backgrounds.
“Peace is something we must pass on to the next generation. Let us not focus only on the words, but on the spirit behind them,” he said.
Sheikh Shaibu stressed that stakeholders must make deliberate efforts to achieve the objectives of the MoU by shaping young minds to appreciate tolerance, unity, and a sense of oneness.
“They are young minds and may not fully understand these differences, but we believe that by nature we are one people, united as part of a global community. We should focus on the beacon, which is God Almighty,” he added.
Alhaji Ibrahim Mumuni, National President of the Conference of Directors of Education (CODE), noted that religious tolerance could promote peaceful coexistence among students from various faiths and create a more stable and effective learning environment.
He called on all stakeholders to support the development and implementation of the MoU by promoting religious tolerance at the basic and second-cycle levels of education.
“We should not undermine the importance of this initiative in our basic and second-cycle institutions,” he said.
GNA
12 Feb. 2026
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong