Presby Church calls for the reintroduction of RME

Accra, Nov. 29, GNA - The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) on Thursday added its voice to calls for the reintroduction of Religious and Moral Education (RME) into the curricula of schools. "It is rather an unfortunate and unexpected decision to drop RME as a subject for the simple reason, as we now know, to cut down the number of subjects," Right Rev. Dr. Yaw Frimpong-Manso, Moderator, told a press conference in Accra to state the Church's position on the matter. Right Rev. Frimpong-Manso said the report of the Committee on Review of Education Reforms stated that RME must feature in the education of the Ghanaian child at all levels and challenged the Ministry of Education to concede that it was a genuine omission. "PCG is again challenging the Ministry of Education to concede that their action was a clear omission irrespective of what deliberations went on during the process of the reforms and revert to the old system. This is what the nation expects to hear in whatever response the ministry has for the nation," he said.

Rt. Rev. Frimpong-Manso said religious bodies saw education as the greatest human investment and a strategy to promote spiritual development, address poverty, illiteracy and build a God-fearing society.

He noted that the current tolerance among the youth and the nation as a whole, which had made the country an oasis of peace, was as a result of a balanced religious education, which educational units were providing in all institutions. "Dropping RME as a subject of its own is part of the systematic plan to temper with the educational partnership," he added. Rt. Rev. Frimpong-Manso said the decision by the ministry to drop the subject showed how uncooperative they had been in resolving some pertinent issues concerning the religious bodies' partnership with government in education.

"In the light of the recent developments, PCG wishes to express her fears about the intentions of the Ministry and, therefore, concerning the educational partnership with religious bodies."

Rt. Rev. Frimpong-Manso noted that as a nation whose principles were based on the sound and moral well being of the individual, there was no need to sell our conscience to international partners. Meanwhile, the Government on Wednesday asked the Committee on education reforms to address concerns about the re-introduction of religious and moral education as a key subject in first cycle schools. "The Government's view is that in a spirit of accommodation and compromise, the Anamuah Committee on Educational Reform and the Ghana Education Service on the one hand, should discuss and address this and other pertinent issues in a way that will enrich the on-going Reform to the benefit of the entire nation," it said in a statement in Accra signed by Mr D.K. Osei, Secretary to the President. It said President John Agyekum Kufuor had directed the Minister of Education to initiate and oversee the necessary meetings. 29 Nov. 07