Mr. Cezar Kale, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, has on behalf of the people of the Region expressed gratitude to the Catholic Education Unit for its pioneering role in partnering the state to make formal education more accessible to many rural communities in the Region.
He said the success story of the Catholic Education Unit in the Region was glaring as almost all the top schools in the Region were Catholic Schools and prayed that God would continue to strengthen the marriage between the Unit and the Region.
Mr Kale expressed the gratitude during the 31st Annual National Conference of Heads of Catholic Higher Institutions (AHCHI) at Wa on Wednesday.
This year’s conference was on the theme: “Leadership and managerial challenges in contemporary Catholic Education in Ghana”.
Mr Kale stated that the Catholic Schools over the years enviably produced quality human resources for the country, saying that standards should be maintained and possibly improved upon for national development.
While lauding the Unit for a good job done, the Deputy Regional Minister also urged Heads of Catholic Institutions to institute measures to eliminate the falling standards of education and the moral decadence that was gradually creeping into the Catholic Schools.
He said to promote discipline in schools, there was the need to clearly demarcate areas for educational institutions to ensure needless destruction of students and enhance closer supervision.
Mr Kale said education was key to the achievement of the “Better Ghana Agenda”, hence government’s commitment to ensure that education was not only affordable but also accessible without compromising on quality.
He said the teacher was critical to the success of any educational reform, hence the need to sponsor some of them to enrol in the distance education programme for them to upgrade their knowledge and skills without leaving the classrooms.
He was optimistic that the conference would provide the avenue for AHCHI members to brainstorm and bring out best practices for the way forward.
The Most Reverend Matthew Gyamfi, Catholic Bishop of Sunyani who is the Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Bishops, urged the School Heads to adopt the right kind of leadership in order to mould the students entrusted into their care without sacrificing Catholic principles.
She said the Catholic Schools were there for a vision and that vision could only be achieved through effective management and leadership.
Madam Dominica Dasaah, Wa East District Director of Education, lauded the Catholic Church for championing girl child education by establishing several girls’ institutions across the country.
She said the computer placement system which usually selected students from different backgrounds and religious beliefs was a source of indiscipline in Catholic Schools but urged the Heads never to relent in their quest to instil in them good moral values.
Madam Dasaah mentioned the lack of effective partnership between the Unit and the State as one of the key challenges facing the Catholic education Unit.
Madam Dasaah called for a review of the partnership between the Unit and the State and the streamlining of the managerial and leadership structures within the Unit.
This, she said, would lead to improved performance which would consequently raise educational standards.