By Joseph Agrace Wiyorbie
Wa (UW/R), Dec. 21, GNA – The Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON), has called for strengthened reforms to improve Catholic education in Northern Ghana.
This was contained in a communique issued by TEPPCON and signed by the Most Reverend Philip Naameh, President of TEPPCON and Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale and was copied to the Ghana News Agency in Wa.
The communique was developed from TEPPCON’s 21st Biennial Plenary Assembly, held in Wa at Tiegber from November 24 to 28, 2025.
The conference was under the theme: “Catholic Education in Northern Ghana: History, Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward.”
It was attended by all the Archbishops of the Catholic dioceses in Northern Ghana-Tamale, Yendi, Damongo, Navrongo-Bolgatanga, and Wa, as well as traditional leaders, students, and some members of the church.
The communique said education played a significant role for sustainable development in Ghana and called for strengthened efforts to advance Catholic education in the Northern territories.
It encouraged all priests and local managers to regularly visit, monitor and supervise Catholic schools and interact with learners and teachers, to improve effective collaboration with districts and municipal officers of education as well as supervise the establishment of active education committee in their parishes.
The communique encouraged the Bishops to prioritize the establishment of endowment funds, to train more personnel, especially priests and religious leaders to ensure smooth succession plans for the running of Catholic education.
The communique also commended the government’s relentless efforts in expansion of schools in the country, and called for the establishment of more Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) schools in the north to give employable skills to the youth in the area to reduce migration to the south.
It acknowledged the journey of Western education in Northern Ghana and its difficulties, noting that during colonial rule, strict restrictions hindered the establishment of schools in the north, sharply with relatively long-standing educational presence in Southern Ghana, where European missionaries had been active since the 1600s.
The structures of mission schools by Wesley and Basel missionaries emerged in the 1800s, laying a significant foundation for formal education to thrive and that it was only in 1907 that the first school was established in Navrongo, with subsequent one in Jirapa, in 1937.
Despite these humble beginnings, and checkered history, Catholic education had seen significant growth in education in Northern Ghana, with a total of 1,657 educational institutions, including kindergarten, primary schools, Junior High Schools, Senior High Schools, Vocational Training Centres, Seminaries, Tertiary Institutions, and other special schools.
The communique said the Catholic education was now ranked as the second-largest provider of education in Ghana and therefore remained the forerunner and leading provider of Western education in Northern Ghana.
The Bishops through the communique emphasized that Catholic education initiatives have gone beyond religious instruction, and serving as pivotal agents of social change through the establishment of schools such as Teacher Training programmes, and literacy campaigns.
The communique stressed the crucial role played by the Catholic Church in bridging the disparities caused by the neglect during colonial times and the government underinvestment, and that these efforts had laid a resilient foundation for human capital development in the regions of Northern Ghana.
The communique noted that Catholic education remains relevant and attractive, and grounded in Gospel values of honesty, respect, and hard work, alongside Ghanaian cultural practices.
It further said the contribution of the Catholic Church had gone beyond education into social interventions aimed at poverty alleviation and improving living standards, implemented by various Catholic Diocesan development organization.
It also highlighted several challenges facing Catholic education including government policies and reforms that sometimes undermined gospel values and Ghanaian cultural principles, increasing students indiscipline, interference by political parties, traditional authorities, religious groups and bureaucrats in school administration and supervision of rising cases of drug abuse, examination malpractice and incident of violence in schools.
The communique appealed to Catholics to actively support Catholic schools through contributions and participation, emphasising the importance of regular school monitoring and supervision by priests and local managers.
It called on all Catholic teachers to inculcate Catholic values in their teaching by showing love, care and values and as well be a role models of Catholic faith and traditions.
The communique also called on the Bishops not to relent in their efforts to get the government to expedite the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the management of faith-based educational institutions for smooth management and facilitate administration of Catholic schools.
The TEPPCON, 21th Biennial Plenary Assembly was a five-day conference to reflect on History, Achievements, Challenges, and Way Forward to improve Catholic education in Northern Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Lydia Kukua Asamoah