Religion of Sunday, 18 September 2011

Source: Asempa fm

Muslim leaders in Suhum want school head removed

The Suhum Council of Muslim Chiefs and the entire leadership of Suhum Muslim community have bared their teeth at the Acting headmistress of Islamic Girls Senior High School at Suhum, Madam Sharifatu Adama Haruna for mismanaging the school and not adhering to the principles on which the school was founded.

According to the council, Madam Sharifatu Adama has over the years exhibited gross disrespect towards leaders and stakeholders of the school and the entire Muslim religion and all attempts to draw the attention of Ghana Education Service to her conducts for redress and subsequent actions, have proved futile.

To this end, the Muslim community in Suhum has given Ghana Education Service one week ultimatum to transfer Madam Sharifatu or they will give her an emergency exit from the school if she stepped foot in the school next academic year which begins next week.

Secretary to the Muslim Community in Suhum, Haruna Abedi told Asempa fm’s Maxwell Kudekor in an interview that the Muslim community cannot sit unconcerned and allow things to fall apart at a school they fronted and nurtured for years.

He added that, it is not their intention to create discomfort to any teaching or non teaching staff of the school but rather asked for collaboration and respect from the headmistress to all stakeholders.

Haruna noted that, the headmistress of the Islamic Girls Senior High School, Suhum, does not appreciate and recognize the school as a Muslim mission school and has deliberately refused to accept that the school has a mission to accomplish; a mission which should not contravene the rules and regulations of Ghana Education Service.

He said the madam has banned all Muslims and leaders of Suhum from worshiping at the school mosque which was built by the same leaders and has further sacked the Imam of the mosque who was nominated by the district chief imam.

According to him, in an attempt to correct the headmistress from her wrong doing, she insulted the leaders of the area and called them illiterates who know nothing.

“This development resulted in several petitions against the headmistress but none of them have yielded result from the Ghana Education Service,” said Haruna Abedi.

The Islamic Girls Senior High School Suhum was established by the leadership of the suhum Muslim community in 1999 with the aim of providing education to the Muslim girl and to eradicate illiteracy in the Muslim community.

The school since its inception was managed by the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar Muslim Community till the year 2006 when the GES drafted it into the SHS system and instituted a joint management with the Muslims and the Islamic Education Unit.

Meanwhile the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Security Council has invited leaders of the Muslim community into a meeting to calm the situation whiles the Regional Director Of Education madam Adriana Kandilige has also been to the school to assess the situation.