Attorney General pushes back against suit over religious restrictions at Wesley Girls’ SHS

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, has defended Wesley Girls’ Senior High School in a legal battle, accusing the institution of discriminatory treatment against Muslim students.

The challenge was filed at the Supreme Court on 24 December 2024 by lawyer Shafic Osman.
Relying on Articles 2(1)(b) and 130(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution, the suit alleges that the school has curtailed the rights of Muslim students by:

prohibiting the wearing of the hijab

preventing students from fasting during Ramadan

restricting the performance of other Islamic obligations

The plaintiffs argue these practices undermine constitutional guarantees of religious liberty and equality.

AG’s Defence

In a formal response lodged at the Supreme Court, the Attorney General rejects the claim that Wesley Girls’ SHS has breached the Constitution.
Dr Ayine argues that the school’s identity as a Methodist institution entitles it to enforce rules grounded in its founding religious doctrine.

According to the AG, the school’s ethos—shaped by the Methodist Church of Ghana—permits administrators to determine acceptable forms of religious expression on campus, even where such standards limit practices associated with other faiths.

The Supreme Court will now determine whether the school’s long-standing religious framework can coexist with the Constitution’s protections for freedom of worship, or whether its rules amount to unlawful discrimination.

The case is expected to attract significant public interest, given Wesley Girls’ SHS’s historical reputation and the wider national debate on religious tolerance in mission schools.