Posts in category: Top Stories

A Child and Youth Advocate, Mrs Gifty Dansoa Appiah, has drawn the attention of school proprietors and managers to the need to ensure proper child protection as it a necessity for the growth of children.

Making a presentation at the Pentecost convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Mrs Appiah made references to some research findings to paint a picture of how endemic the issue of child abuse has become in Ghana to patrons of the Conference for Proprietors of Christian Private Schools.

The seasoned Strategy, Development Planning and Management expert explained child safety as the ‘measures and practices in place to protect children from harm, injury, abuse, or danger.’

According to her, Child safety encompasses various aspects of a child’s well-being, including physical, emotional, psychological and social safety.

Mrs Gifty Appiah indicated that child protection is foundational and essential to a child’s proper development because if a child is not protected, every aspect of his life is affected, saying, ‘No child can progress well in areas of education, health, safety, or having good relationships if he or she is afraid all the time of being abused.’

She, therefore, called on proprietors and teachers to recognise that they have a general duty of care to ensure that arrangements are in place to protect children and young people from harm. 

The child and youth advocate revealed that they are called to uphold the biblical mandate of protecting children to prevent harm whenever possible and respond appropriately if faced with the possibility of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

This, she said, is evident in Mark 10:14 which reads, “He said to them, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” 

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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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