Let religious bodies manage mission schools—Nortsu-Kotoe
The Member of Parliament for Akatsi North, Mr Peter Nortu-Kotoe, has suggested to the government to hand over the management of mission schools to the various religious bodies in order to restore discipline among the youth of the country.
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He said one legacy that the mission schools left the country which seemed to have died down was the healthy academic competition among them, explaining that for that reason parents in communities with multiple mission schools took into account not only the good moral education but academic discipline as well.
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe, who is an educationist, in a statement on the floor of Parliament observed that the district education directorates were facing a number of challenges that made it difficult for them to supervise the schools under them.
“If these mission authorities are allowed to take over their schools for effective supervision, as well as management, the standard of education that has nosedived can be restored,” Mr Nortsu-Kotoe said.
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe added that all public-spirited members of the various religious bodies could help in the development and maintenance of their schools.
Even though the various missions established schools and managed them, the responsibility for the provision of education at all levels with control of all schools was taken over by the government after independence.
The result was that the mission schools became part of the public system under the Ministry of Education with its main agent the Ghana Education Service managing them.
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe said the current moral decadence in the country was due to lack of serious moral education, guidance and counselling in schools.
He said even though the various educational units were responsible for the posting and transfer of teachers to a large extent, that aspect of religious and moral education, which was one of the core pillars of mission schools, was missing.
“Nobody seems to be concerned about morale upbringing of children to instil discipline and the respect for authority in them.
There is so much waywardness now that as a nation we need to rise up to our responsibilities before we are overtaken by events”.
He called for measures to make the schools the guardian and father as it used to be when missions were in charge of the management of their schools and guidance and counselling became part of the responsibility of the teacher.
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