Educationists call for Closer Church-State Collaboration

Navrongo (U/E), June 17, GNA - Educationists from the Catholic Education Unit, Ghana Education Service (GES), and the Parish Priests of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic diocese have called for an active partnership between the church and state to raise the standard of education in the country.

The call was made in a communiqu? issued at the end of a two-day diocesan education policy seminar held at Navrongo in the Upper East region on Thursday.

The seminar, which was attended by 30 participants, was aimed at reviewing the respective roles and relationships between the church and the state in the provision of secular education.

The communiqu? stated the need for stakeholders to recognise and respect the capabilities and interests of each other and give the needed support, adding that both the state and church need each other for the total development of the educational sector."

It stressed the need for good quality education and the re-introduction of good moral and religious lessons in all schools.

The participants, however, said they were not happy at the haphazard manner in which the educational reform programme was being carried out.

"We are particularly unhappy about the slow manner in which the reforms respond to general but important concerns like the inadequacy of technical and vocational constitutions and ineffective monitoring system."

This, they said, had "led to delayed actions which have very serious adverse effects on the beneficiaries of the programme.

They, therefore, appealed to the government to ensure an effective monitoring system for the reform programme and provide the resources for effective teaching and learning.

The participants urged all religious bodies to consider putting up technical and vocational schools to enable junior and senior secondary school leavers to acquire skills.