The Supreme Court has approved an application by the Trustees of the Methodist Church Ghana to join as the fourth defendant in the ongoing legal challenge regarding the religious policies of Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast.

Reported on Tuesday, May 19, the apex court's decision is anticipated to expand the scope of a case that has sparked national debate over religious freedoms, students' rights, and the administration of mission schools in Ghana.

The lawsuit, filed by private legal practitioner Shaffic Osman, seeks constitutional interpretation and enforcement concerning specific religious practices and regulations at the Methodist institution.

The plaintiff challenges policies enforced by the school that allegedly prohibit Muslim students from wearing the hijab, fasting during Ramadan, and performing Islamic prayers on campus, while simultaneously requiring all students to participate in Christian worship.

Counsel for the Trustees of the Methodist Church Ghana argued that while the church does not manage the day-to-day operations of the school, any judicial ruling against Wesley Girls’ High School would ultimately impact the Methodist Church as its founding body.

The Trustees maintained that their inclusion was necessary for a comprehensive and conclusive determination of all matters in the dispute.

Lead counsel for the plaintiff, Abdul Aziz Gomda, opposed the application, arguing that the school's Board of Governors was already a party to the case and fully capable of representing the institution's interests, making the inclusion of the Trustees unnecessary for the adjudication of the matter.

Conversely, Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Justice Srem-Sai, representing the Attorney-General’s Department, did not oppose the application.

He stated that the request was understandable given the church’s ownership and historical ties to the school, even though the institution is publicly funded and supervised by the state through the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, ruled that the participation of the Methodist Church Trustees would help bring finality to the dispute.

Following this ruling, the parties to the suit now consist of the Board of Governors of Wesley Girls’ High School as the first defendant, the Ghana Education Service as the second defendant, the Attorney-General as the third defendant, and the Trustees of the Methodist Church Ghana as the fourth defendant.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter sine die.

This case marks the latest development in a long-standing national controversy over religious accommodation in mission schools.

The debate initially gained prominence in 2021 when reports surfaced that a Muslim student at Wesley Girls’ High School was allegedly barred from fasting during Ramadan on health and institutional grounds.

The incident triggered widespread public discussions among religious leaders, educationists, civil society organisations, and policymakers regarding the balance between constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms and the traditional ethos of mission-founded schools.

Although the Ghana Education Service previously directed schools to respect students' religious rights, including the right of Muslim students to fast, the issue continues to raise legal and constitutional questions about the extent to which mission schools can enforce institutional religious practices within Ghana’s public education system.