Religious education in a democratic state: The case of Ghana

Abstract

According to the 2000 government census, approximately 69 percent of Ghana`s population is Christian, 16 percent is Muslim, and 9 percent adheres to traditional indigenous religions or other religions. Other religions include the Baha'i Faith, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Ninchiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai, Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sera, Sat Sang, Eckanker, the Divine Light Mission, Hare Krishna, Rastafarianism, and other international faiths. The multi-religious nature of the Ghanaian society, therefore, makes it very difficult for those in charge of Ghana’s affairs to ignore this reality. No wonder the preamble to the Ghana’s 1992 Constitution is underpinned by religion – “IN THE NAME OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD…”, although it does not officially declare Ghana a religious state. This paper tries to examine the role of religious bodies and the state of Ghana in Religious Education in the current democratic dispensation. In Ghana, the central government fully supports education be it faith-initiated or individual – individual and adopted by government (supply of textbooks and other logistics and teachers` salaries are borne by the central government). The only condition for this support from the government is that Religious Education is presented in a professional way. That is, religious educators do not present their lessons with the view of converting the pupils to a particular faith (this is the work of the theological institutions) but to present every religion in an objective way for the pupils to make their own decisions. This is informed by the fact that the post-independence Constitutions of Ghana guarantee freedom of Religious affiliation. This is aimed at ensuring religious tolerance in the light of the religious pluralism existing in the country today. It is for this reason that the Ghana Education Service (G.E.S.), the education authority in Ghana, had to approve of the content of the syllabus of education particularly those of first and the second cycle schools. Religious bodies in Ghana wield considerable power and in some cases have been able to influence state policies in the areas of law and politics. In Ghana, it has become a defacto condition that in the selection of Presidential candidates, the candidates` religious affiliations are usually considered. Usually, if the presidential candidate is a Christian, a Muslim is preferred as a running mate and vice versa. Christians have 25th December, 26 th December (Boxing Day), Easter Day and Easter Mondays as statutory Public Holidays. In 1995, the Muslim community in Ghana under the leadership of the national Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, was able to negotiate successfully with the then ruling government, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) under Jerry Rawlings to get two statutory Public Holidays for the celebration of the Eid festivals, that is, “Eid al-Adha” (Feast of sacrifice), which falls on February 2, of every year and the “Eid al-Fitr” (end of Ramadan), November 3-5 depending on when the moon is sighted. In view of the above, it is clear that it will be difficult for any government to neglect the concerns of religious bodies particularly, in matters of education. Therefore, it is apparent that religion and education in Ghana play a major role in the current political democratic dispensation. This conclusion does not necessarily mean that there are no impediments to the teaching of Religious Education in Ghana today. There are some problems which need to be addressed first before the country could sustain and enjoy the full benefits deriving from Religious Education