Promoting Peace among Student Religious Groups in Public Universities in Ghana: UDS, Wa Campus in Perspective

Abstract

In Ghana, religion is important to many students and their inclinations toward faith, spirituality, and peaceful coexistence, have manifested in the development of religious organizations on school campuses of all types. Recent studies , have identified a number of interreligious conflicts in some educational institutions in the country. Against this background, the University for Development Studies (UDS), Wa Campus, which hosts 13 student religious-based groups was selected with the objective of examining the mechanisms employed by these groups to foster peace among students regardless of their doctrinal differences. Primary data were gathered through interviews in a case study design involving 28 student leaders from ten religious groups and three key informants who were purposely selected. The study revealed that the mechanisms employed by these campus-based religious groups in promoting peace include the following: preaching and teaching of peace, organisation of interfaith dinner and games, exchange of pulpit and periodic intercessory fasting and prayers for followers and the masses. This paper recommends that periodic education on religious tolerance should be carried out by amalgamated religious bodies and university managements to help deepen the understanding and knowledge of students about religious pluralism and the need for peaceful coexistence.