contribution of missionaries to education in ghana

Indeed, once the souls had been saved and since the students must have been considered clever enough, European languages were almost universally the languages of instruction in the later primary years and in secondary schools (Beck 1966: 120; Foster 1965: 159; Miran 2002:127). Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. Efforts to change these norms were often aimed at women. These missionaries saw death in the course of their evangelizing work as a means to ascend to heavenly glory. 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. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. Prior to advent of the Christian missionaries and indeed well into the pre-independence period, most sick people depended for cure upon concoction herbs and roots and barks of trees. Textbooks were heavily biased towards western ideas and values. Their converts increased steadily in numbers until 1821 when a section broke away to form the first independent African, Christian church in West Africa, called the West Africa Methodist Church. This was around the same time that the first Portuguese sailors arrived on the coast of Ghana. That missionaries used the vernacular illustrates the fact that missionaries were principally evangelists, and that they considered their other roles, including their role as educators, as less important. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. Copyright 2023 ABWE. Even if secondary education was provided, it was often reserved for the sons of local chiefs (Oliver 1952:212; Beck 1966: 120), an elite the colonial government could then call upon to help rule the colony, a common practice in colonial Africa. The Missionary Role on The Gold Coast and In Ashanti: Reverend F.a Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. They also introduced vocational education in the country. which were for females (Graham, 1971). About us | Ghana Education Service - GES 503 0 obj <> endobj Literature We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. The Christian Connector is a great resource for Christians and aspiring ministry leaders and missionaries to apply for scholarships. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. Nevertheless, the first higher institution in Ghana, now the Presbyterian Training College at Akuapem Akropon, was established in 1848, first as a centre for training catechists, and later to train teachers as well as ministers of the Presbyterian Church. In regions where a denomination felt threatened by another denomination, the denominations were more likely to establish more schools in an attempt to gain more converts than their rival, while in regions such as northern Nigeria, where colonial policy prevented too much rivalry, schools were scarce (Bassey 1991:45). It was not until the nineteenth century, that the new religion was really established in West Africa. But the funds and other needed materials even when available could not reach their station in time. The vast majority of the people of The Gambia are Moslems; but a sizeable percentage of the population, especially in and around the capital Banjul, are Christians. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, Accra . Request Permissions. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. African poetry Over time and with the dedication of teachers like Father Burke, the school rose to prominence. 1. Above, we have described the role that trading companies, missionaries, and the government played for the spread of Western education in the coastal areas from the late sixteenth century onwards. The missionaries seemed to have concentrated much of their effort on the production of export crops. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. It was however in the coastal territories filled with mulattos and other European trading communities that Christianity won some of its early success. The restrictions intensified until in the second week of 1917, when all German missionaries were rounded up, brought to Accra and deportations began on December 16. This finding was supported by two types of analysis. *You can also browse our support articles here >. Africa and the Winder World 3. Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education. The CMS began to work in the freed slave villages in Sierra Leone in 1804 and the Methodist in 1811. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. The Journal of Negro Education, 8 8 The Effect of Western Formal By February 2, 1918, all Basel missionaries had been deported from the Gold Coast. Andreas Riis, assisted by a team of West Indian evangelists, laid the foundations of the Basel Missionary Church in the country. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. As negative as all these impacts of the missionaries undoubtedly were for the African pupils, the long-term consequences are arguably as serious. The coming of the Christian missionaries to Ghana had a positive impact on agriculture. Missionaries continued to be the main providers of education even after colonial powers established control during the so-called Scramble for Africa which occurred between 1884-1914. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. The constant tensions between traditionalists and Christian converts often erupted into all-out conflicts. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. Two important private schools with strong Christian influence must also be mentioned: Accra High School, founded in 1923 and Accra Academy, established in But despite the work of Portuguese missionaries based on the island of Sao Tome and later of Spanish missionaries in Benin, it was not until the nineteenth century that the Christian religion was firmly established in Nigeria. They discovered that the holy book did not clearly prescribe monogamy, and contained several examples of renowned Christian polygamists. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. This comes at no extra cost to you. Lack of transport from the coast to the interior parts of West Africa was one of the major difficulties encountered by the missionaries. Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. In this chapter, we shall examine how Christianity and Western-style education influenced West Africans values, attitudes and life-styles. This Western education imparted to the Ameru by the Church of Scotland Missionaries, Consolata . Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. Secondary Schools in the Protectorate started later, following the establishment of Bo Government Secondary School in 1906. No plagiarism, guaranteed! One is led to ask, why this sudden development? In fact, Jacobus Capitein, a former Ghanaian slave who became a priest in the Dutch Reformed Church in the 18th century was on record to have defended the practice of slavery. To apply, students simply fill out a quick form. 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? J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. further studies African prose Among other things the regulations required that all teachers should be registered, and a minimum salary was fixed. 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. The home page of Compassion Canada is that of a stereotypical Northern charity: showing pictures of suffering children alternating with those of post-intervention, happy children. They need YOU. The lead was followed by other missionaries, notably the Roman Catholic, whose first higher institution was St Edwards Secondary School in Freetown. Establishment of Christian Churches In Ghana. Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. Indeed, most of our early nationalists were all products of mission schools. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect . Again, the missionaries persuaded Africans to abandon the practice of tribal marks. However, accustomed to monogamy, few European missionaries were open to such arguments. They worked to write the bible, dictionaries and textbooks in such Ghanaian Languages as Ewe, Fanti, Ga and Twi. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. He is survived by two brothers, Walter and Kevin Burke. Yet, the relationship between European missionaries and African populations had some contradictions. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. 2236624), The beginning of Africanisation : the dawn of the missionary motive in Gold Coast education, Early colonial and missionary records from West Africa, West Indies material in the archives of the USPG, 1710-1950. After completing that assignment, Father Burkes superiors asked him to teach English as a second language (ESL) to Divine Word missionaries who did not know the language. By the close of the nineteenth century the major Christian missionary churches had opened elementary schools in many part of southern Nigeria with an enrolment of about 74,000 by the First World War. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. Other Roman Catholic hospitals were built in all the nine regions of the country; including those at Asikuma and Foso (Central Region), Akyem Swedru (Eastern Region), Berekum (BrongAhafo), Maase (Asante Region) and Anfoega (Volta Region). Although it can be said that Christian missionaries benefitted Africans by bringing in the more advanced Western education to the European colonies in Africa, it is believed that the mission schools in fact had a negative impact on the native peoples. This was a bitter pill for the Basel Mission to swallow after 19 years of devoted service in the mission field in the Gold Coast but they were not dismayed when they considered that in education and agriculture and artisan training and in the development of commerce, and medical services and concern for social welfare of the people, the name Basel by the time of expulsion of the mission from the country, had become a treasured word in the minds of the people. 26. Mission schools were popular because of the new skills and opportunities they offered. personal development B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. 2023 Society of the Divine Word. Operational Christianity started 267 Years ago. ASSESS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN MISSION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GHANA. The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. PDF Missions, Education and Conversion in Colonial Africa Although most people are Presbyterians, they can also go to spirit and other cults, mostly Christian and Pentecostal movements, to find cures for disease and lack of success in this world. In this respect the Christian religion therefore differed from the traditional religions of West Africa, which along with an acceptance of one Supreme Being worshipped a hierarchy of gods. New missionary societies (the LMS, the CMS, the Holy Ghost Fathers, the White Fathers, etc.) Moreover, mission education formed a poor foundation for future educational conditions in the former colonies. 2006 - 2023 Microform Academic Publishers | Microform Academic Publishers is a division of Microform Imaging Limited (Company registered in England no. Kalu, Ogbu. This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. In 1989-90, the government banned the activities of several religious organizations, including the Church. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king, Otumfour Nana Kweku Duah I who reigned between 25th August 1834 to 27th April 1867). In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . 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. Let's look in-depth into these scholarships. In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. As one Eritrean student remarks, Our sisters [the Italian Sisters] would have undoubtedly taught better and more, but the Italian government in the colony did not permit Eritreans to get good instruction (T.T. In December 1868 he went with his wife and child to Anum in the present-day Volta Region of Ghana. the role of administrators, chiefs and the missions; first attempts at agricultural and industrial training; girls' education and teacher training before 1850; some chief factors in educational expansion 1850-1900; government official policy in educational expansion 1850-1900; agricultural, industrial and vernacular training 1850-1900 Porter, Andrew. Brief History - PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF GHANA churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. The contents of this tutorial will serve as a guide for a suitable essay on the below WAEC/WASSCE History past question. 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. This made it difficult for the early missionaries to stay in the country for long. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. Being ignorant of ones history causes one to lose part of ones identity and pride in that identity, and one is therefore more vulnerable to attacks denouncing ones culture as inferior, especially if at the same time one is being taught the noble history of another culture. Contribution of Christian Missionaries in Ghana - Cegast Academy In 1876 the college became associated with Durham University in England, which awarded degrees to students of the college. English comprehension To put it differently, the motive was to gain acceptance in the sight of God so that after death they would be judged kindly by the heavenly father. Later that year, in recognition of his service to the Ghanaian people, President John Dramani Mahama bestowed the honor of Officer of the Order of Volta upon him. The European missionaries believed that European culture was superior to African culture. Even when governments discouraged domestic industries, graduates of vocational schools contributed to the economy of the colonies -and therefore indirectly the mother countrys as well. Today almost all of the population is Presbyterian, although the ancestral royal cult and many spirit cults still flourish. Agricultural school graduates did not compete with European industries or European farmers, as they mainly grew crops that could not be grown in European climates. The First Missionaries were sent as a result of a request by Major de Richelieu, Governor of Christiansborg. That there are parallels between contemporary Christian organizations efforts and the missionary efforts of the mid-nineteenth to mid- twentieth centuries is a reason for concern, considering the similar impact of missionaries of all Christian denominations on the education of Africans in the British and Italian colonies in Africa. ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. With the exception of the first two volumes, marked "West Africa", these items are drawn from the volumes Series CWW. In spite of all this, with the advent of the First World War in 1914 in the Kwaku District there were 21 congregations with a total of over 2500 members. The system was devoid of any cohesive national policy. He had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Father Burke, whose students included Father Tetteh and Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, arrived in Ghana, West Africa, in 1963, only four years after the country gained independence from Great Britain. 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. Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. A notable example, in Ghana, was the Methodist experimental farm near Cape Coast whose crops included cotton, coffee, black pepper, mango, ginger, cinnamon and olive trees. Initially, a majority of the missionary journeys was done with English-Speaking Protestants and later, in the 1820s and 1830s, they were joined by continental Protestantism from Germany, Switzerland and France. In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. Its general scope extends to both Roman Catholic as well as Protestant missionaries in relation to education works. primarily purposed to outline the contributions of religion and education to national development in Ghana. The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! Longman Publishing Group, 1980. The government gave grants according to the strength of the staff and the efficiency of the school judged by inspection reports and the results of public examinations. Father Vincent Burke SVD, 83, recipient of Ghanas Officer of the Order of Volta Award, passed away at Techny, Ill., on Sept. 21. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. The American Episcopal Evangelical (A.M.E.) Zion Church owes its foundation in Ghana to Bishop J. Bryan Small, who started work first at Keta in 1898. Required fields are marked *. There were several reasons for this poor education, some intentional and some not. Up to Guggisbergs time, the church schools did not receive grants from the government. Besides education, they cared for the sick. Buchi Emecheta PROBLEMS FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. In the same year as the Basel missionaries settled in Akuapem in 1835, the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Church was established at Cape Coast by the Rev. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Evangelical Revival began to bring to Africa an influx of missionaries whose laoburs would produce the first fruits of an enduring Christian presence in Sub-Sahara Africa. S.J. His immigrant Irish-born parents instilled faith and a firm work ethic in their sons. Within ten years of Father Bergheros visit, the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria had become so well established that it ceased to be under administration from Dahomey. %PDF-1.7 % Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. This conditioning was focused on norms that missionaries deemed incompatible with a Christian way of life. Senior High School Literature The agricultural schools the missions ran would have been even more advantageous to the colonial governments considering the discouragement of local industries that might have competed with the motherland. It is one of the oldest continuously published periodicals by and about Black people. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. When he arrived in Nkwatia-Kwahu to teach English at St. Peters Secondary School, the town had yet to benefit from electricity and running water. Series CLR. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004. Following ordination, he was sent to Washington, D.C., and the Catholic University of America, where he earned a masters degree in English literature. Many Ghanaian communities got divided along religious lines. In my study, I explored how colonial era conflicts and disagreements over marriage norms lastingly affected educational development. Brief History. 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. Government & Politics We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. This post may contain affiliate links. Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana self help And yet this was what earlier missionaries in pagan Europe had done when, for example, they had changed the Sabbath to suit the pagan Sun Day (hence Sunday), and had also adopted the dates of the pagan festivals to celebrate Christmas Day and the Easter festival. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. As long as the Africans could read the Bible, the missionaries were satisfied that they had had enough academic education. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions While the protestant evangelical movements were gaining ground in West Africa, similar movements were being promoted by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. Full article: Inequality of education in colonial Ghana: European History Christian missionaries were the first to introduce European-style education in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. Your email address will not be published. Properly meant by Anglo-Saxon standards. In the British colonies, as elsewhere, religious missions were instrumental in introducing European-style education. The three models of Secondary education in Ghana since colonial times are the Mfantsipim School founded by the Church (mission) in 1876, Achimota School in 1927 established by the British Colonial government However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. The achievement of the purpose of these Christian Missions came with some costs. JNE sustains a commitment to a threefold mission: first, to stimulate the collection and facilitate the dissemination of facts about the education of Black people; second, to present discussions involving critical appraisals of the proposals and practices relating to the education of Black people; and third, to stimulate and sponsor investigations of issues incident to the education of Black people. These attempts were traumatic for the students and threatened the survival of unique cultures. essay writing ABWE is also at work in countries that restrict evangelism. 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. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. The European Christian missions preached the Gospel, built churches, and seminaries translated the Bible to Ghanaian Languages such as Ewe, Ga, and Twi. The others include the French trading posts at Grand Bassam (Ivory Coast), Assinie and Libreville in Gabon. Therefore, considering that the impact of mission education continues to have serious repercussions today, one must question whether the First World should continue to interfere in African education. 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. 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. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. Catholic Higher Education and Mission in Nigeria: The Contributions of Its message was that of love and the universal brotherhood of mankind. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. A tiny act of kindness is remembered by a young man in need. In this essay on the impact of Christian missionary activities on Ghanaian society, we shall examine the role of the missionaries in the development of Ghana and the rest of Africa. Called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. 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. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. 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. senior high school history I compared data on the historical locations of mission stations since 1924, in 26 sub-Saharan countries with recent education data between 2008 and 2018. Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana

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