Archbishop Sarpong blasts govt

Emeritus Archbishop of the Kumasi Catholic Archdiocese, Most Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong has criticized government for excessively spending the country’s meager resources on unproductive activities.

It would be erroneous and preposterous for any government official or citizen to say Ghana is poor in the face of open opulence by government, as huge sums of money are pumped into football and non-existent guinea fowl project, according to him.

Speaking at the 25th anniversary of Good Shepherd R/C Preparatory School in Kumasi, Archbishop Sarpong urged government to prioritize the nation’s development, noting that teachers ought to be properly taken care of due to their important role in society.

“How can we talk of Ghana being poor in a situation where huge sums of money are spent on spectators flown from Ghana to Brazil to cheer our team in a match that they could only watch from screens mounted outside while Polytechnic teachers are at home on justifiable strike?” he quizzed.

According to the man of God, who spoke under the theme: ‘25 Years of Excellence in Historic Catholic Education,’ this is a complete waste of the country’s resources to the detriment of some teachers in the elementary school, who have not been paid for many months.

He pleaded with government to urgently address the concerns of teachers since they constitute the future of the nation.

“They take upon themselves the responsibility of parents, who have the duty to educate their children. Teachers’ salaries must be commensurate with their importance in the society as is the case in developed nations,” Archbishop Sarpong stressed.

Ghana’s economy would not have benefited if the nation had even won the World Cup, he said.

The Emeritus Archbishop bemoaned government’s handling of Catholic schools and stated that the church must be allowed to use its tools in running the Catholic schools.

He promised that the Church would deliver the requisite academic results.

“Whichever government is in power must realize that the Catholic Church is an expert in education. What government should do is to tap into the immense experience of the church in its educational efforts,” he indicated.

He called on government to help missionaries with expertise in healthcare, education and social welfare to obtain visas in order to assist the nation, pointing out that their presence would not harm the country.

Archbishop Sarpong said government’s discrimination against Ghanaian children in private schools was unacceptable.

The Headmistress of the School, Rev. Sr. Deepa Xavier, said Good Shepherd ensures academic excellence and sound moral training of the students.

According to her, the school was established about 25 years ago by the late Rev. Fr. Augustine Murphy with 20 pupils.

It currently boasts of 990 pupils with 37 teachers and some 18 non-teaching staff.

Rev. Sr. Deepa recalled with nostalgia the early development of the school.