Vice-President John Mahama has directed both the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to ensure that the rules and regulations regarding the freedom to practice and manifest any religion in the country's educational institutions are complied with. At a meeting with the National Council of Muslim Chiefs at the Osu Castle in Accra on Monday, Vice-President Mahama stressed that the Constitution of Ghana is supreme and that any code or institution which infringes it is null and void. Article 21 (1c) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that “All persons shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice.” Section 22, sub-section 1 to 4 of the Educational Act of 1961, states among other things that no pupil or student should be compelled to undergo any form of instruction in any religious subject. The directive from the Vice-President comes against the backdrop of complaints about infringement of the religious rights and freedoms of worship of Muslim students in second cycle institutions. The Muslim Chiefs and Imams, led by the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharabutu, were at the Castle to, among other things, express appreciation to the government for its assistance for the successful organisation of the Hajj last year. Assuring the Muslim leaders that the government was taking up the matter, Mr. Mahama stressed the need for tolerance, respect and consideration of all views, beliefs and cultures. He urged the Muslim Imams and Ulamas to educate their people on the impending biometric registration exercise, saying, it is imperative that all eligible voters be registered. The Vice-President also advised the youth in the Zongos against allowing themselves to be used as 'macho men' by self-seeking politicians to wreak havoc in the run-up to the elections. Earlier, Chief Imoro Baba Issah, who spoke on behalf of the council members, thanked President John Evans Atta Mills and Vice-President Mahama for their advice and interventions when pilgrims faced challenges. Alhaji Baba Issah stated that through last year's Hajj, contacts were made with two Islamic international organisations - the Islamic World League, and the Islamic Development Bank on the possibility of investing in Ghana. That, he said, had resulted in the planned establishment of an Islamic University, whose academic programmes would not be limited to Islamic studies only but cover other academic disciplines.