Ghanaian Bishops: Holistic education for responsible, productive citizens

By Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

“The Church wishes to emphasize Religious, Moral, Ethical and Civic education that will lead to the production of responsible and productive citizens,” according to Bishop Emmannuel Kofi Fianu.

The Vice-President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) raised this concern to the government on February 19, during the national education forum held in Ho.

The GCBC, through the Catholic Education Unit, has called for a more holistic approach to education, emphasizing the importance of shaping well-rounded citizens and that schooling should extend beyond academics.

According to Bishop Kofi of Ho Diocese, by integrating moral, ethical, and civic education into the school curriculum, students can grow into holistic members of society and “not just knowledgeable and skilled individuals who will be social misfits.”

Catholic schools are extension of faith

Catholic schools aim to nurture and develop young people to grow into responsible, faith-centered individuals rooted in Catholic values. To achieve this, Church leaders have consistently emphasized the importance of maintaining Catholic identity by having educators who share and uphold the same faith.

“Since Catholic schools are an extension of the Church’s faith, the Church wishes to humbly appeal to His Excellency, the President of the Republic, to consider posting newly recruited teachers who are Catholics to Catholic schools to keep the Catholic faith alive in Catholic schools so that we do not lose our identity in our own schools,” Bishop Kofi said while speaking on behalf of the conference during the Wednesday meeting.

Education is the foundation for economic growth

Education is generally recognized as the driving force behind sustainable economic progress for any nation. Thus, by prioritizing quality education, governments and institutions hope to nurture the kind of human capital essential for long-term economic growth.

Speaking to the theme of the education forum, 'Transforming Education for a Sustainable Future,’ Bishop Kofi, a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), said, “Education is understood globally as the bedrock for economic growth and development as well as a tool for positive social transformation.”

“In fact, the importance of education to an economy cannot be overemphasized, especially in this 4th industrial revolution," he continued. "Hence, the need to do everything possible under the sun to continuously make it relevant to the changing needs of society.”

He informed the participants that the Catholic Education Forum will be held under the theme: "Catholic Education for Integral Development: Shaping a Resilient and an Inclusive Ghana." Bishop Kofi said the themes for both the national and the Catholic fora “speak volumes about the fact that education has to undergo some drastic transformation to bring about the needed teaching and learning outcomes for the world of work and a better society.”

He expressed appreciation for the step taken by the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, to constitute a committee to analyze the current education system and make recommendations. This, he said, “is in tandem with the Catholic Church’s position as she prepares to hold her second education forum on 10-15 March.”

Collaboration between the government and mission schools

The Catholic Church has appealed to the government of Ghana for increased collaboration for the smooth running and management of schools and for quality outcomes.

“Let us all seize this opportunity to remind ourselves about the Memorandum of Understanding that exists between the government of Ghana and the Mission/Unit schools for effective collaboration and unity of purpose in the delivery of desired educational outcomes,” said the Vice-President for GCBC in his message.

Furthermore, he continued, “the Catholic Church, on behalf of all mission/unit schools and on her own behalf, looks forward to receiving a written policy direction by this Committee on the partnership between mission/unit schools and the government on the management and delivery of quality education.”