The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi
Gyamfi, has called for the incorporation of citizenship and civic education into the School
curriculum of the country.
This, he said, will inculcate the Ghanian values into children right from the beginning of their
formal education as well as help promote patriotism among the younger generation.
“Citizenship education should begin earlier from the elementary schools to the very top of the
educational ladder so that citizens will be conscious of the core values that make us unique as
Ghanaians”, he emphasised.
Bishop Gyamfi said this when members of the GCBC met a delegation from the National
Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at the National Catholic Secretariat in Accra as part of
the Bishops’ May Plenary meeting.
The two groups held discussions on pertinent issue on the mandate of the NCCE and its role in
tackling certain issues in the country including voter education, monitisation of politics, religious
intolerance, fake news and violent extremism.
He stated that with the integration of the citizenship education into the main school curriculum,
NCCE’s mandate of promoting citizenship education in the country would be made easier.
The Bishop noted that in an era of globalization when negative values were infiltrating and
adulterating core national values, especially patriotism, it was important to consciously
mainstream citizenship education into the educational system, beginning from the basic level.
Ms. Kathleen Addy, the Chairperson of the NCCE who led her delegation, said the NCCE was in
discussions with the Ministry of Education regarding the matter and was hopeful a conclusion
would be arrived at at the earliest possible time.
She said the Commission was working at extremist activities in the neighbouring countries and
religion-based campaigns which are possible threats to the peace and security in the 2024
elections.
The Bishops also held discussions to with Catholic Parliamentarians and officials from the
Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The May Plenary provides a platform for the presentation of reports from various Departments,
Directorates, and Units of the Church in Ghana, reflecting on the previous year’s activities and
outlining plans for the year ahead.
