Christian Council lauds move to hand over mission schools

The Christian Council of Ghana has lauded the government’s move to hand over mission schools in the country to its original owners.

The council however said there was the need for a meeting to be held between the government and the religious bodies to draw a road map towards releasing the schools.

The Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, at a stakeholders meeting on education in Kumasi Tuesday, hinted that government was in the process of returning the management and supervision of mission schools to religious bodies.

The move, according to the minister, would be in fulfilment of the 2016 manifesto pledge of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Read also: Govt to hand over mission schools to religious bodies

In an interview with Graphic Online in Accra Wednesday, General Secretary of the Council, Rev Dr Kwabene Opuni- Frimpong said the two bodies must work out the modalities regarding the handover. 

According to Rev Dr Opuni- Frimpong, the move by government would help restore discipline to the schools as the purpose for setting them up was to train students to become both educationally and morally strong.

He said the status quo marginalizes the missionary in educational decision-making in the institutions.

“We are happy and excited, the Ghana Education Service has not respected the partnership between the two bodies over the years, the service tried to push us the rightful owners of the school away. In terms of managing the schools.”

He was of the view that the idea behind building mission schools was not for only intellectual ability but for the moral and spiritual building of students

“Years ago, when you went to a mission school, they were able to enforce discipline; this is how they did it; they set up the school to train the head, the heart and the hand. So you go to school and they give you intellectual ability that is training of the head but they feel that one has to train the heart, that is the moral and the spiritual, and then they give you vocational skills by training your hands."

In addition, he said the aim of the establishment of the mission schools was to supplement the effort of the government.