Akufo-Addo is terrible at delivering education when it comes church-state partnership - Most Reverend Mathew Gyamfi

The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Reverend Mathew Gyamfi, has stated that the Akufo-Addo-led administration has been performing terribly in the area of church-state partnership in terms of education delivery.

Most Reverend Mathew Gyamfi has observed that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has worsened the already toxic relationship between the government and missions in the management of schools in the country.

"Beginning of this year, the Ghana Education Service Council has canceled the representation of the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Islamic Mission on the Council where we meet to discuss issues in education".

"Most educational reforms of the state have consciously sidelined the church and deliberately eroded her influence in the schools the church has founded and manage for many years. The question is, what harm has the church caused?, he quizzed.

Most Reverend Mathew Gyamfi said this while delivering a keynote address at the 10th anniversary of Our Lady Graces Senior High School at Mamponteng in the Kwabre East Municipality of the Ashanti Region on Saturday, September 30, 2023.

Establishment of mission schools:

As part of its missionary objectives during the colonial era, churches established many of Ghana's senior secondary schools, several of which are now branded elite schools.

But a 1984 takeover of their schools placed their administration and management under government control.

Ghana has 872 second-cycle schools, of which 66% are government-controlled, but as of now, churches control a huge majority of the 575 schools under the state's management.

Failed government promises:

Prior to the 2017 presidential polls, calls for a return of mission schools to churches intensified as churches complain about negative effects of secularization on school children.

Following the calls, President Akufo-Addo in November, 2017 promise to return all mission schools to the churches when voted into power.

According to the Bishop, Nana Akufo-Addo is yet to honor the end of his bargain for the churches.

"President Akufo-Addo in 2017 promised a historic handing over of mission schools across the country to its original administrators, the churches, seven years in office as the president and nothing has been done about the pledge", he said.

Most Reverend Mathew Gyamfi noted that indeed government's withdrawal of management of mission schools would delight traditional churches like Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican and Catholic churches, as it will help the church to instill discipline among the students.

He expressed worry over government’s continues move to push the churches away from schools the churches founded.