The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana and President of the African Methodist Council, Most Rev. Dr Paul Boafo, has intimated that education in Ghana should inculcate knowledge and piety to provide a holistic formation of the human mind and heart.
According to him, there is a huge disconnect between knowledge and piety, and it is a dangerous crime for that to continue, saying, “Morality in this country is sinking, and in her place, we see greed, murder, selfishness. The Ghanaian society is beset with a lack of accountability, probity and integrity.”
The Presiding Bishop was speaking at the second interdenominational conference for Ghanaian pastors, dubbed ‘All Ministers Conference,’ hosted by The Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Fetteh near Kasoa. The three-day conference, which ended on Friday, aimed at arriving at the unique role the Church can play in casting a moral vision and national development agenda for Ghana.
Most Rev. Dr Boafo opined that though Ghana has a moral compass, “we have just lost it.”
He reckoned that the Church is the nation’s moral compass and cannot afford to be silent on national issues that mitigate against progress, development and social transformation.
He noted that education is one of the tools in the hand of the Church to turn the tide. He advanced that mutual respect, equity and justice, honesty, humility, transparency, courage and conviction are human virtues that must play a major role in Ghanaian schools.
“Knowledge is power, but knowledge that does not set itself in the context of God and takes morality into account is a horrible knowledge that can lead to doom and disaster,” he said, adding, “Perfect students who are heartless is a crime. We have a role to play in our governance, schools and institutions.”
He charged Church leadership to rise and find a way out of the quagmire of deficient leadership and immoral citizenry.
“Leadership without morality is dangerous. If we are looking for people to lead and direct us, and they have no morals, we are heading for doom,” he forewarned, adding, “If we back out and look on, we will forever be doomed. We must take our place wherever it matters, and education is one such place.”
He advised that in providing quality education by the Church, the aim should be to set the wills of the people right and not to go in there and add to the rot.
He disclosed that the Wesleyan focus was to see education as the act of recovering to man his rational perfection, and religion was seen as central to achieving that. He was proud that the Church in Ghana had not abandoned this essential role of providing quality education.
“No institution has given direction and guidance to Ghana than the Church, and this is evident from the educational institutions we find providing holistic formation in hearts and minds.”
He emphasised the need to strengthen all aspects of morality in educational institutions, particularly those established by churches.
Most Rev. Dr Boafo said any education that is not fashioned to groom students after the fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ has no essence.
He proposed that the Church strengthen its relationship with the government, bring on board its philosophy and aim of providing education, and design a curriculum emphasising that God is supreme.
“We cannot have people who are first class students who are corrupt, thieves and do not have sympathy for people, and don’t love people and God,” he lamented, pleading that “morality should not be decoupled from education because it is the part that touches the heart.”
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