Municipal and District Chief Imams and their deputies in the Eastern Region have appealed for leadership training seminars to be organised for them to acquire the requisite knowledge, experience, ideas and skills needed to facilitate their effective performance of their roles.

Such seminars, they said, should be organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to also upgrade their knowledge on various leadership skills needed for effective and efficient performance.

This was contained in a five-point communique issued at the end of a three-day conference of chief imams and their deputies, public relations officers and their secretaries at Bunso in the Abuakwa South Municipality in the Eastern Region last Sunday.

The Secretary to the Upper West Akim District Chief Imam, Abdul-Rahamani Musah, who read the communique also called on the Hajj Board to include imams from the municipal and district assemblies among preachers during the exercise of pilgrimage to Mecca.

Education

On education of Muslim students, Mr Musah urged the Ministry of Education to assign dedicated and qualified Muslim teachers to senior high schools (SHS) to continue the guidance offered by parents at home to continue with the Islamic teachings.

The students, he pointed out, must also be allowed to practice their religion without any hindrance or interference in the schools.

With regard to award of scholarships to brilliant needy Muslim children, he further indicated that it was sad that such students from the Muslim communities were left out, and appealed to the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat to offer special dispensation to brilliant needy Muslim youth.

The Ministry of Education, Mr Musah stated, should consider establishing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools closer to Muslim communities to encourage the youth, and at the same time help promote modern education in such areas.

Mr Musah added that Muslim leaders had already acquired tracks of land that could be used to establish such schools, and therefore appealed to the government and other development partners to intervene in all matters raised in the communique.