MECHANISMS FOR PREVENTING, MANAGING AND RESOLVING INTER-RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS IN SOME SELECTED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE UPPER WEST REGION

Abstract

Interreligious conflicts like other forms of conflicts are pervasive among adherents of various religious faiths in Ghana. However, Ghana is not experiencing devastating conflicts resulting from religion as some countries in Africa and beyond have witnessed. Nonetheless, there are reports of cases of inter-religious clashes in the country’s educational institutions, especially the Senior High Schools across the country. The selected schools (Wa Senior High School, Lassia Tuolu Senior High School, Wa Senior High Technical School, Islamic Senior High School and Queen of Peace Senior High School) were chosen because they have both in the past and present experience and are still experiencing interreligious conflicts. Ironically, how religious plurality and its related conflicts are handled in the Senior High Schools remains a grey area. It is against this background that this thesis was carried out with the view to examine how interreligious conflicts are prevented, managed or resolved in five selected Senior High Schools in the Upper West Region. Using a qualitative case study design, data gathered through unstructured interviews involving 27 respondents (face-to-face) and Focus Group Discussion involving 32 groups executives with a total respondents of 230, the study revealed that, the provision of worship place for all religious faiths has been a major conflict preventing mechanism used in the various Schools. The study also revealed that the use of dialogue by religious Patrons has contributed to the successful management and resolution of inter-religious conflicts in the selected Schools. In spite of the reported successes chalked by the application of the various conflict preventive and resolution mechanisms, inadequate worshipping space, lack of conflict managing skills and misuse of religious dressing or attire have militated against the effectiveness of the existing mechanisms. The study concluded that inadequate education on religious tolerance, compulsory worship and prayer attire remained the major causes of inter-religious conflicts in the schools. The study therefore recommends that the Ghana Education Service should include religious diversity management in the teacher trainee curriculum and religious tolerance in the Senior High Schools curriculum to promote the understanding of religious plurality and the need for religious adherents to learn and respect other faiths.