Headmaster Explains Wearing Hijab At Dormaa-Ahenkro Islamic Basic School

Mr. Moro Bawa, the Headmaster of Dormaa Islamic Primary/Junior High School (JHS) has said the wearing of hijab to the school by all pupils and students is a decision by the school authorities.

"The veil or hijab is part of the school uniform, hence even non-Muslims in the school wear it as a mandatory covering and a requirement for all,” Mr. Bawa stated.

Mr. Bawa made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sideline of a durbar to climax the 10th anniversary celebration of the School at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Dormaa Central Municipality of Brong-Ahafo Region.

He said the parents of non-Muslim pupils and students were made to understand “this reality that wearing the hijab is part of the School's dress code, as it is an Islamic type.”

He said at a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, the parents were informed that although the institution is an Islamic school which taught Arabic language and Islamic beliefs; the mode of worship and traditions were not forced on non-Muslim students.

Mr. Bawa said the school’s teaching materials and methods were based on the Ghana Education Service (GES) curricula and syllabi, and therefore, not only Arabic language was taught.

He said none of the parents of the non-Muslim pupils and students had complained about that, but indicated however, that the non-Muslims were made to compulsorily learn the Arabic language because "it's a language and not because we want to influence or convert them to be Muslims".

“When it's time to observe Muslim prayers, we don't allow the non-Muslims to pray but this is not so with the other missionary schools in the country, where others are forced to convert into the Christian religion," he stated.

Mr. Bawa added that at the JHS level, he was the only Muslim teacher working with six others who were Christians, stressing "this institution is not bias in terms of who we are and what we do".

Source: GNA