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The Director of the Pentecost Hospital-Madina, Apostle Dr Edward Arkoh Koranteng, has sensitised proprietors of Christian private schools on the need to ensure child health and well-being in their schools.

According to Dr Korangteng, proprietors and school managers are part of God’s plan in nurturing great destinies (children) for God’s glory. He disclosed that since every child’s glorious future and destiny revolves around sound health and well-being, there is the need for proprietors to place premium on it, saying, ‘Proprietors need to ensure that every child in their schools is fit holistically in terms of their social, mental and physical well-being.’

Apostle Dr Koranteng was speaking at the maiden Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools organised by the Children’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost, in collaboration with the church’s Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM) at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

In promoting quality health care in schools, he advised participants to request the medical records of the children they admit into their schools to contextualise the children’s individual needs. Such reports, he said, would help teachers to carefully observe children to track their developmental growth.

He also suggested that for proprietors to have a fair idea of the child’s social growth, they need to interact with the parents or guardians of the children occasionally.

‘Constant observation of the children is also needed so the school workers and proprietors must develop eagle eyes towards the children,’ he advised.

Another aspect of child health and well-being that Apostle Dr Koranteng touched on is laying a good foundation of good nutrition in schools. With regard to this, he urged proprietors to make sure that they go above just profit-making and provide nutritious meals to the children. He also asked them to make it a policy to screen the cooks and food handlers periodically to avoid disease outbreaks. He also advised them to put in place a committee to ensure the nutritional needs of the kids are met.

Apostle Dr Koranteng further admonished proprietors to ensure that physical activities take place in the schools to cater for the physical well-being of the children in their care. This, he cautioned, should be under strict supervision to prevent injury.

Touching on mental health, he asked proprietors to make sure that children have a sound mind to learn, are not bullied or threatened in any way.

Apostle Dr. Koranteng urged school owners to make it a point that adequate handwashing facilities are supplied in their schools whilst taking the children through health education.

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The Children’s Ministry Director of The Church of Pentecost, Pastor Prof. William Otoo Ellis, has indicated that people are very important to the achievement of one’s goals and aspirations in life.

During a word of exhortation on, ‘Achieving your goals – the need for people’ on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, during the maiden edition of the Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools, the former Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) highlighted several things people need to help them achieve their goals in life.

This, he said, includes one’s ability, courage, attempting (efforts to achieve and complete something), earnestness, ambition and people. He noted that amongst all the requirements, the most important is people.

Pastor Prof. Ellis explained that people are valuable resources in wealth creation, achieving one’s goal and character building.

Touching on how people contribute to the achievement of a person’s goal, the Children’s Director used the sale of Joseph into slavery as captured in Genesis 37 to reveal that encounters with people teaches resilience, just like joseph learned from the merchants who bought him. 

Again, he said, just as Joseph learned management, leadership and a host of important characters when he was serving in Potiphar’s house, several encounters with people will equip one with such traits to achieve their goals.  

He, however, called on the participants to note that their relatives, close friends or staff can disappoint them just like Joseph’s brothers sold him out into slavery, but they should never give up because it is for a good course, saying, ‘Joseph needed to be sold by his siblings to achieve his dream. If he had not been sold, he would not have gotten to Pharaoh’s palace.’

Pastor Prof. William Otoo Ellis asked the participants to keep it in mind that if they decide to stand for God and defend His principles, they will face challenges.

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A former Rector of the Pentecost University, Apostle Prof. Peter Ohene Kyei and retired minister of The Church of Pentecost, has indicated that it is not too late to build the Christian culture in schools to build a morally upright society.

He said this on Monday, June 10, 2024, when speaking on the topic: ‘Creating a lasting Christian culture in schools – Reviving Christian Values and Principles,’ at the Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.

Apostle Prof. Kyei (Rtd.) explained that the church plays a pivotal role in the development of structures and curriculum that will contribute to the moral upbringing of students in schools.

He emphasised that the school is the second home for students, therefore, teachers play a major role in the formation of the moral character of children. He stressed the need for school proprietors, heads of schools and all other staff to pray, think and strategise to push the Christian culture into schools to impact the lives of children.

The former rector who has over 40 years’ experience in administration and higher education explained that if schools are fully equipped with the Christian Culture, it will transform students into responsible and morally upright adults, who will have positive impact on others, their workplaces, nations and everywhere they find themselves. This, he said, can lead to children converting their parents and other relatives who are unbelievers.

According to Apostle Prof. Ohene Kyei, there is a growing appetite for corruption in every facet of society, hence there is a need to carefully look at education and how it impacts children’s character.

He noted that a school is not categorised as a Christian school because it was built by a Christian or because of its name. Rather, it is the practices and activities which take place there that determine so.

The former lecturer therefore called on proprietors to set moral policies for their schools and work hard with teachers and others to execute them.  

He advised them to among other things organise prayer festivals, crusades and other Christian activities on campus to establish and maintain the Christian culture in schools and affect the moral lives of the students.

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A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has stressed the need for Christians to extend their values beyond church auditoriums.

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong made this call during the maiden edition of the Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools on Monday, June 10, 2024, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoah Fetteh.

Speaking on the topic, ‘The School As A Mission Field And A Mission Agent,’ the former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana pointed out that Christian values are very vital to the wholistic development of people and the country at large.

He explained that the school is best place to instill such positive Christian values and principles since students spend more time in the school, and that teachers play a key role in developing the character and behaviour of students.

Throwing light on the important role teachers play in the school as a mission field, Rev. Dr Opuni Frimpong stated: The role of teachers extends far beyond traditional academic instruction. It should include the cultivation of ethical behaviour, personal development, mentoring, social transformation, accountability and good governance among the youth and society.’

Addressing the issue of exchange of values for academic successes in Ghanaian schools, Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong said: ‘Our society today is bedeviled with a myriad of social problems. Many have had cause to complain about the unruly behaviour of some youth including indiscipline, destructive behaviour, violence, extremism, corruption, etc.’

He added: ‘The emphasis today in society and educational system is on ability to pass all your examinations, high grades, achievements in science, technology, engineering, popularity in media, etc., but not on character.’

The Presbyterian minister suggested that to change this narrative there is a need for proprietors and heads of schools to implement discipleship training, regular church services, regular prayer and fasting meetings, baptisms, confirmation, communion, availability and distribution of Bibles, Hymn Books, tracts, Christian literature, devotional materials, learning and singing of hymns and counseling, amongst others, in their schools.

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The Vice-Chancellor of the Pentecost University (PU), Apostle Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, has called on teachers to strategically position themselves to play a key role in the ‘Possessing the Nations’ agenda to positively impact young children.

Ministering at the maiden edition of ‘Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools’ at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, on Monday, June 10, 2024, Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua explained that God has placed a responsibility on proprietors and teachers to be guardians of His will in their schools.

While delivering a message on the topic, ‘Christian School Leaders, Carved for the Occasion,’ the PU Vice-Chancellor explained that one does not need to be ordained as an Apostle, Pastor or Bishop, before they can perform the task of transforming their sphere with Kingdom values and principles.

He explained that in the mind of God there are many pastors, bishops, and apostles without clericals, which includes proprietors, heads of schools, teachers and all school staffs.

According to him, God’s ultimate agenda as captured in the Book of Revelations 11:15, is to reclaim the kingdoms of the world unto Himself.

Adding that, God plans to do this through His children, hence everything they do must be geared towards that agenda. He added that God’s way of reclaiming the kingdoms unto Himself is to take away all spheres of influence, highlighting that education is one of such greatest spheres of influence, and so proprietors and teachers have a very key role in the possessing the nations agenda since they are able to chart the lives of their students into the right path.

Another thing the Vice-Chancellor of the University A+ touched on is that there is a strong agenda and fight against the cause of God which includes the eradication of God and things of God from the schools.

However, he said, God is expecting that proprietors and school managers will make it a point to defend the name of God and restore all activities relating to the values and principles of the Kingdom of God to contribute to the moral upbringing of students.

Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua called on Christians in the field of education to note that God is looking for people who are knowledgeable and filled with the Holy Spirit to transform their world with His values and principles.

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About 200 school proprietors, managers and teachers, drawn from various private schools in Ghana are meeting at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, near Kasoa in the Central Region for the maiden Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools.

The 3-day conference, organised by the Children’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost, in collaboration the church’s Schools Outreach Ministry (SOM), under the theme: “Unleashing the Christian School Leader to Raise Godly Children,” began on Sunday and will end on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

Welcoming the participants to the conference during the opening ceremony on Monday, June 10, 2024, the Director of the Children’s Ministry of The Church of Pentecost and former Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Pastor Prof. William Otoo Ellis, commended the participants for taking part in the all-important conference.

He urged them to drink from the deep brook of experience in nurturing children as the church develops a framework for bringing godliness back to Ghanaian school premises.

“As a ministry responsible for children in The Church of Pentecost, we continue to seek partnerships with various stakeholders in child development to achieve our corporate vision of raising godly children,” he said.

He added: “As a church and a ministry, we believe that our schools and more especially Christian private schools have been called by God to raise godly children.”

The former KNUST Vice Chancellor noted that in today’s world within which children are being raised is gradually becoming increasingly challenging as far as godliness and morality is concerned.

According to him, homes and family systems which hitherto were the first point of call for raising morally upright children is also gradually disintegrating.

“Unfavourable economic conditions coupled with humanity’s quest to build a godless society, continue to exert pressure on families and parents’ ability to raise godly children,” he bemoaned, adding, “The educational system which served as one of the most effective pivots, providing support and augmentation to the family system in terms of raising godly and morally upright children is also increasingly being compromised.”

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