Govt commended for decision to hand over schools to churches

Cape Coast, May 7, GNA- The Anglican Church of Ghana on Friday commended the government for its willingness to hand over mission schools to the appropriate churches to see to their day-to- day administration.

The Church observed that this would facilitate the proper moral and disciplinary training of the youth, and would also help to eradicate social and moral vices such as drug abuse, the practice of occultism, sexual promiscuity, among others, now spreading in schools. The Right Reverend Daniel Yinkah-Sarfo, Presiding Bishop of Joint Anglican Diocesan Council (JADC) stated this in an address during a Press Conference organised by the Church, at Cape Coast. The Conference formed part of activities marking a week-long of Anglican Bishop Conference and JADC meeting scheduled from Monday May 2 to Sunday May 8 under the theme: 'Vision 2010, Reconstruction and Shared Responsibility".

It is being attended by 50 participants from the Churches' eight dioceses in Ghana comprising bishops, the clergy and laity. Right Rev Yinkah-Sarfo, who is also the Bishop of Kumasi expressed concern about recent developments regarding the security of the country and called on the government to do its utmost best to protect the citizenry within the country's borders and strive to maintain and enhance the nation's peace and security.

He said the Anglican Church has observed an increasing tendencies of Ghanaians seeing problems through ethnic lenses and called on all churches to help reverse the trend and rather encourage the growth of nationalism and recognised ethnic diversity as a source of strength other than conflict.

The Presiding Bishop of JADC also urged the government to provide the National Commission for Civic Education and related partners sufficient financial support to enable them structure programmes in schools and communities to check the problem of indiscipline, which had become a national canker.

He explained that the Church had for sometime now embarked on restructuring exercises to promote its spiritual and social work in the country, and therefore a national Secretariat would be established to co-ordinate its activities.

Right-Rev Yinkah-Sarfo said the Anglican Church was also very concerned about the HIV/AIDS menace and has therefore come out with a framework, which sought to include education for prevention, pastoral care for HIV/AIDS victims and social ministration. He also observed that even though the Church was aware of the negative effect of tourism, when it was properly managed, it could be of immense benefit to the nation and urged the government to develop more tourist sites and also facilitate the training of personnel in the hospitality industry.

In attendance were the Most Rev Justice Offei Akrofi, Arch-Bishop of the Province of West Africa and Bishop of Accra, Right Reverend Daniel Allotey, Bishop of Cape Coast and Rt. Rev Matthias Medadues, Bishop of Ho.