Reclaiming the Soul of Our Schools
A Call to Restore Moral Leadership in Education
There is a growing national concern that something vital is slipping away in Ghana’s schools. While access and enrolment have improved, the moral fabric of our education system is fraying. Incidents of student unrest, violence, and a breakdown in discipline – especially in Senior High Schools – are becoming alarmingly frequent.
Against this backdrop, the call by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) to return Church-founded Senior High Schools to Church oversight is not only timely – it is necessary.
This is not about nostalgia or control. It is about restoring a tested model of moral and academic formation that has served this country well. The Church currently manages over 5,400 basic schools and dozens of SHSs and tertiary institutions. Generations of Ghana’s leaders emerged from these institutions—educated, disciplined, and morally grounded.
But much of that foundation is now weakened. Chaplaincy services are sidelined. Headteachers report to education bureaucracies with little appreciation for the spiritual and ethical dimensions of learning. Values are sacrificed on the altar of rigid administration and union politics.
Cardinal Peter Turkson was right to call the supposed Church–State conflict in education a “falsity.” Mission schools were never exclusive. They were built for national development, open to all, regardless of faith. His comparison with Church-run hospitals is apt: doctors and nurses are paid by the State while the Church ensures quality service. Why can’t this model work in education?
Indeed, the current impasse has its roots in the sidelining of Church-appointed managers. As Cardinal Turkson observed, regional directors now wield control over nearly every school decision, weakening accountability and moral guidance.
We must be clear: the Church is not calling for privatisation. It is not seeking to control who attends these schools. Rather, it wants to partner in restoring discipline, integrity, and service as core pillars of learning.
Fears that Church-led schools will be discriminatory are unfounded. Catholic schools are inclusive. They follow the national curriculum. What they add is the formation of conscience, character, and community—a legacy that must be preserved.
We take note that the recent National Education Forum in Ho initially omitted invitations to the Catholic Bishops and other major religious stakeholders. This was a serious misstep, given the historical and ongoing role of faith-based institutions in education. However, we also acknowledge with appreciation that following public outcry, the government issued a late apology and extended an invitation. The Church responded graciously.
Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD, Vice-President of the GCBC and Bishop of Ho, represented the Catholic Church at the forum. He made the Church’s position abundantly clear: that the erosion of Catholic identity, lack of proper consultation, and exclusion from managing Catholic schools are not only disrespectful but damaging to the quality and moral focus of education in Ghana.
Bishop Fianu’s call for the posting of Catholic teachers to Catholic schools, respect for Catholic properties, and proper collaboration with Church leadership is not only valid but urgent. He rightly identified the spread of social vices and corruption as consequences of an education system that no longer prioritises ethical and civic formation.
The Catholic Standard strongly supports the position of the Catholic Bishops. We call on the Government of Ghana to take their concerns seriously. The Church is not asking for power—it is offering partnership. It is not seeking to divide—it is calling for unity in values, purpose, and outcomes.
The future of Ghana depends not only on how many students we educate—but on who they become. If we are to rebuild our society, we must start by reclaiming the soul of our schools.
Let the Church help.
Let values lead.
Let Ghana rise.
