The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. Their luggage and other necessities had to be carried on heads and took a long time before reaching the missionaries. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Almost all the missions in West Africa faced financial problems in the early stages of their missionary work. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. The result is that today, many Africans are alienated from their authentic ways of life. Cultural deprivation is what many of us suffer from []. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. ABWE is also at work in countries that restrict evangelism. Besides education, they cared for the sick. The early Christian missions concentrated their activities not only on religious matters. In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WEST AFRICA. The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Soon after the Methodist experiment, the church Missionary Society set up their own school at Badagry. He told me that that amount of money could pay for school fees for five students in secondary school in Ghana.. English Upon completing his degree, Father Burke received his first assignment abroad: Ghana, the first Black sub-Saharan country in Africa to gain independence from a colonial power. J. G. Christaller produced a Twi Grammar and Dictionary. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. But that increase was greater in monogamous societies. Given the fluctuating standards between schools and regions and the lack of qualified teachers in the mission schools which had monopolies in well into the mid-twentieth century, it should come as little surprise that the quality of education continues to be a concern in many former colonies. Its general scope extends to both Roman Catholic as well as Protestant missionaries in relation to education works. The Ghana Education Decentralization Project (GEDP), launched in 2010 and ended in 2012, has increased the influence of local authorities over management . In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into writing. However, as Jonathan Miran (2002) argues in his work on the roles of missionaries and the Italian state in Eritrean education, missionaries should not be held solely accountable for the poor standards of education. In short, the impact of teaching in the vernacular was more negative than positive, as it reinforced colonial rule and no doubt did very little to preserve native cultural identities, seeing as missionaries promoted European languages as superior and only used the vernacular because conversion and religious instruction were such high priorities. PDF Formal Education in Gold Coast-Ghana: An Overview of Colonial Policies It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. Andrew Foster (educator) - Wikipedia So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. The others include the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, which was tasked with the responsibility of promoting the translation and printing of the Holy Bible. The study traces the his tory of colonial education and the tremendous contributions of missionaries in the establishment of formal education in the region. Joseph Dunwell. A second reason for the poor education of the mission schools was that in many cases the teachers in mission schools were unqualified as teachers, but were instead preachers by training. Isichei, Elizabeth. Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. Preventive medicine was hardly known; the result was that epidemics of different kinds were frequent. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. The impact of Christianity on West African society has persisted to this day. The effects of work done by Bishop Ajayi Crowther, assisted by the Igbo recaptive the Rev. In 1989-90, the government banned the activities of several religious organizations, including the Church. House, 1967. For instance the scholar E.A. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. Among the Christian missionaries that came to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the following. About us | Ghana Education Service - GES Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. Also the missionaries set up model farms where scientific agriculture was taught and new crops were introduced for the people, to go alongside longstanding indigenous production. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. Another contribution of missionaries to the development of Ghana was their pioneering role in writing many local languages. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. Although there were many disagreements between European missionaries and African populations, antagonising polygamy is probably the best-documented norm conflict. The work of the missionaries also had little success initially. They worked tirelessly to lay a foundation for formal education The European missionaries established elementary and second-cycle institutions in the country. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. A short history of education in British West Africa. The city of Akuropong capital of the Akan state of Akuapem in Ghana, has known the Christian presence during the last 186 years, initially centered on the Basel Mission, then on the Free Church of Scotland, and now on the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. Further, the missionaries introduced improved methods of farming together with modern farm implements. He knew me as a boy [in Ghana] who washed his car and went with him when he said Mass at mission stations, yet [as an adult] he treated me as an equal, Father Tetteh said. Efforts to change these norms were often aimed at women. This comes at no extra cost to you. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. There were related organizations that sprang up in Scandinavia, Holland and the USA. In line with this, formal education in Ghana was started by the western traders and the missionaries by the 15th century through the 18th century respectively. Within a short time the missionaries spread their activities inland. I will earn a commission if you follow a link to purchase a product. The others include the French trading posts at Grand Bassam (Ivory Coast), Assinie and Libreville in Gabon. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. 2023 Society of the Divine Word. Predominantly Muslim territory, the North received western education later than the South. The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. According to the Head of the Methodist Church in Ghana, Mmofraturo was established in Kumasi, 'when it dawned on the early Wesleyan Missionaries that when the girl child was educated, she could grow up to face the challenges of the fast-changing world. For the next decade, the Church grew in Ghana at an accelerated pace. The study examines the historical foundations of Western education in Meru and factors that influenced its development. The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. Under the Basel Missions Salem system, converts were separated from the traditional society. Properly meant by Anglo-Saxon standards. This research was funded by the European Research Council. The others included the Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. Up to Guggisbergs time, the church schools did not receive grants from the government. Hundreds of believers were baptized, branches organized, and a mission established. The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. They provided missionaries a way to spread Eurocentric norms and attract new converts. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions The anti-slavery issue and the humanitarian conscience also played a vital role in stimulating European interest in Africa and gave an impetus to mission work. One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. A large percentage of Ghanas 30 million people are nominally Christian (more than 70% as of the last census), and 28% consider themselves evangelical believers. Private Study They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. For more than a year, Ghanaian Saints continued to practice their faith in their homes. Seeing as missions in the British and Italian colonies had monopolies on education for the nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, this reluctance meant that there were few secondary schools at all (Ayandele 1966:287; Beck 1966: 120). The Portuguese were the first to introduce the Christian faith into West Africa but following their departure from the West Coast in the mid-seventeenth century, the Christian religion survived only in Upper Guinea where a bishop was maintained in the Cape Verde Islands serving also a part of the mainland. Notably among these missionaries are the Wesleyan, Basel, and Bremen. 'In view of this idea, Mmofraturo, the first girls boarding school in Ashanti was officially . I found that while educational outcomes are generally better in places that were exposed to Christian missions in the colonial era, traditionally polygamous societies benefited less. Therefore, whether through their rigid educational polices or lack thereof, colonial governments contributed to the poor education, though there is no denying that missionaries also contributed to the quality of education to a great extent. Although Lokoja had a small C.M.S. Then lets begin straightaway. Waterville Pub. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. For three years, he taught English and biblical ethics. In my study, I explored how colonial era conflicts and disagreements over marriage norms lastingly affected educational development. While the protestant evangelical movements were gaining ground in West Africa, similar movements were being promoted by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. Specifically, it addresses the unique role of Christian missions in. Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. While living at the Divine Word Residence in Bordentown, N.J., he often visited parishes and schools to talk about missionary work. 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa On the opposite side, the coming of the Christian missionaries brought in its wake certain negative developments like disregard for African culture and rebellion against traditional authority. By February 2, 1918, all Basel missionaries had been deported from the Gold Coast. Being ignorant of the significance of certain institutions and practices of the people of West Africa, and occasionally being misled by their over-zealous followings into wrongly interpreting the peoples heritage, the missionaries compelled pupils in their schools and docile adult converts to shun their own ancestral practices. Senior High School Literature Contributions of Missionaries Towards Education in India CUP Archive, 1979. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004. Government & Politics Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. Babalola, E. O. Christianity in West Africa. The history of education in Ghana from the earliest times to the In traditionally monogamous societies, primary school completion increased by about eight percent, but only four percent in polygamous societies. Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. The academic education purposely did not train Africans for the higher level positions of colonial administrations, which were mostly reserved for Europeans (Ayandele 1966:295; Sheffield 1973:42), a practise which created dependency on the colonizers, as without them the colony did not have qualified administrators. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. It was only after the Second World War that the colonial governments started to show a real interest in the promotion of formal education in West Africa. Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. These contradictions are surprisingly absent from contemporary research. How to Get Involved in Church Missions: The Ultimate Guide, 16 Causes of Crime Essay (with Solutions), Justify the Title of the Novel Second Class Citizen, The Role of Ghana in the Formation of the OAU, Economic Developments in Ghana Before Independence, 11 Causes of the Rise of Nationalism in Africa, Importance of the Odwira Festival in Ghana. Christian missions also took a leading role in the campaign to end the slave trade and to suppress slavery. Many Ghanaian communities got divided along religious lines. They were closed down in 1852 in favour of schools opened in Lagos which, in 1851, had one time British control. Another reason why the Europeans came to spread the Christian religion in Ghana was to pave their own way into eternal glory. In addition to studying the impact of these struggles on education, we also need to understand how they influenced gender inequality. As happened in other colonial territories, the government did not show great interest in the provision of education in Ghana until the missionaries had extended their services throughout the country and had set up primary schools and a few secondary schools and training colleges. They worked to write the bible, dictionaries and textbooks in such Ghanaian Languages as Ewe, Fanti, Ga and Twi. Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana It is important for several reasons. This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. History of the church in Africa: a survey. The Methodists founded Mfantsipim (1876) for boys and Wesley Girls High School (1884). For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. As an institution introduced by agents with radically different values, the Christian religion damaged the culture and traditional beliefs of the people of West Africa. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. Debate Speech: Religion Has Failed Society, A Speech Outlining the Achievements and Problems of Your School, 7 Factors Accounting for the Shortage of Capital In West Africa, The Resurrection of Jesus According to Marks Gospel. Instruction in the Colonial School and the Wesleyan Mission schools at Cape Coast Castle was in English despite the fact that Fanti was the language of the native people. Their activities had both positive and negative effects on Ghanaian society. A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. These missionaries saw death in the course of their evangelizing work as a means to ascend to heavenly glory. "Big things have small beginnings"; so is The Presbyterian Church of Ghana. It is interesting to note that while in many ways missionaries sought to isolate students from their cultures, missionaries often insisted in teaching in the native languages. All work is written to order. In such asituation, provisions and other things had to be sent into the country not in large quantities as would have been desired by the missionaries. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. In fact in 1966, Father Burke led students to a victory in a national educational contest called the Ghana TV Cup. Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana Box 2 of the papers relating to the Society's activities in West Africa. First, alignment can help you communicate your . He is survived by two brothers, Walter and Kevin Burke. Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. Ghana sits on West Africas coastline along the Gulf of Guinea, bordered by the Ivory Coast and Togo to the west and east and Burkina Faso to the north. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. Reiterating what teacher education must encapsulate, Adegoke (2003) and Benneh (2006) indi-cated that the mission of Ghana's teacher education is to pro- This special relationship continued until 1960 when Fourah Bay became a college of the newly reconstituted University of Sierra Leone; the other constituent college located at Njala developed from a training college founded in 1920. These missionary societies laid the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church in West Africa, which lasted through to the independence period when African clergy replaced the white pastors. Furthermore, they were skilled farmers that could grow cash crops to be consumed back in the mother country, such as cocoa from Ghana (Foster 1965: 153). Also, Christian missionaries in Ghana were as zealous as their counterparts in Nigeria in pioneering medical services. Their arrival in South Africa was aimed particularly at spreading the Word of God. Ghana continued to call. senior high school government They also introduced vocational education in the country. Yes! Also, the traditional doctors more often than not could not diagnose illness accurately. Asuikante Gabriella Atengdem - Senior Research Assistant - University Despite the skills and opportunities mission schooling afforded, many Africans were not willing to pay the price. It is important to emphasize that the modern history of the Christian Mission in Africa started from the late Eighteenth Century, the Catholics had been there earlier in the first centuries of the Christian era especially during the first Portuguese adventures. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in the name of Father Burke can be made for the care of elderly and infirm missionaries and sent to The Rector, Divine Word Residence, 1901 Waukegan Road, P.O. Among other missionary hospitals of long standing and reputation are those run by the Methodists at Wenkyi in the Brong-Ahafo Region, and by the Seventh Day Adventists at Kwahu Atibie in the Eastern Region. Public money was spent only on the small number of government schools, totaling nineteen when Governor Guggisberg assumed office in 1919. The first Europeans arrived at the West-African Coasts at the end of the fifteenth century. Vol. The work of the Basel Missionary Society was taken over with the consent of the Basel Mission Home Board by the United Free Church of Scotland whose ecclesiastical organization was Presbyterian. THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES AND VERNACULAR LITERATURE; Another valuable contribution of the Christian missionaries in West Africa was the development of literature in the local vernaculars, this included the translation of the Bible into some of the important local languages. The high temperatures coupled with high rainfall patterns in some parts of the country experienced during the daytime, made the missionaries stay indoors, which slowed down their activities. However, the discovery of quinine and other curative medicines in the late 19th century made the history of the missionary work in West Africa a different thing altogether. better grades His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. Aligning Your Teaching Philosophy with Your Institution's Mission For that matter, they rebelled against their chiefs and elders. As we help existing churches become healthy through theological education, discipleship, pastoral training, and leadership development, we desire to see church-planting efforts within the local church soon follow. Africa Christian Press, 1996. I have used my expertise to design and implement strategies for major projects including new programme development, global proposals, book launches, international talks, lectures, and executive . The missions agricultural schools were especially beneficial for colonial governments considering that governments believed that manual labour was a means to prevent discontent and unrest in the tribes (Hansen 1984:232). Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century, informal education existed in Ghana with the goal of introducing young people into the society. With the exception of the first two volumes, marked "West Africa", these items are drawn from the volumes Series CWW. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Economics 1991. We must not lose sight of the fact that the colonial government in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa relied on the activities of the missionaries to help them achieve the objectives of colonial rule. After six years at St. Peters, Father Burke was named chaplain and professor of English literature at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Osu, Ghana. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. History books tended to exaggerate in achievements of Europeans, making no reference to Africans own great past. 522 0 obj <>stream PDF OVERVIEW OF EDUCATION IN GHANA - WikiEducator %PDF-1.7 % In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. As founder and director at CEGAST, he has successfully coached thousands of students in English, Literature, and related subjects for major international examinations. In the later 19th century, the immense African interior remained the principal object of the Catholic Priests, and from 1867 until his death in November 1892 Cardinal Lavigerie planned the planting of churches in Africa South of the Sahara. The weakening of traditional societies was not simply a consequence of the efforts of missionaries but one of their main objectives, stemming from their belief in the civilizing mission. Supporters of the civilizing mission believed that European colonial enterprises were justified as the Europeans were imparting their superior Western culture and ideas to the ignorant heathens of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. These included the Baptist missionaries who under the American evangelist, Thomas Bowen, started work from Ogbomosho in 1855. All rights reserved. In addition to teaching, he served as national spiritual director of the Ghana Sacred Heart Enthronement Centre and spiritual director of the Accra Diocesan Sacred Heart Centre. Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. Rev. However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language and translated the entire Bible and a Bible history into Ga. Then in 1874, the Rev. faceless characters T. Nelson. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. Instead of adapting the teachings and practices of the new religion to suit indigenous values, as it did when the same Christian religion adopted Greek, Roman, German and Anglo-Saxon native practices, the early Christian missionaries condemned totally as pagan, and to be avoided by their converts, whatever they considered strange. Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. %%EOF Are you ready to discover the points for an essay on the contribution of the Christian mission to the social and economic development of Ghana? Just look at the lyrics of this evangelizing song written in 1819 by Reginald Heber, a prolific English hymnist in the Anglican church. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. Johannes Zimmermann, for example, produced a Ga dictionary, Ga bible and grammar book. From 1870 to 1914 the Basel Mission succeeded in extending its work from the Akwapim Ridge to Kwahu, Akim and Asante and across the Volta as far as Yendi the north in 1913.