contribution of missionaries to education in ghana

It started first among the Yoruba recaptives who had embraced the Christian faith while in Sierra Leone (freed from slave trading ships by the British Royal Naval Squadron), and who returned home between 1839 and 1845. By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. The study traces the his tory of colonial education and the tremendous contributions of missionaries in the establishment of formal education in the region. Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. The study examines the historical foundations of Western education in Meru and factors that influenced its development. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. Unsurprisingly, the level of education increased as one moved closer to the missionaries. homework help From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. 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 The statistical evidence suggests that education would have spread more evenly. 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. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. In 1954, he became the first Deaf African American to earn a bachelor's degree from Gallaudet University, the American university for the Deaf, and the first to earn a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University.He earned a second master's degree from Seattle Pacific Christian . He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Because of rivalry, instead of building one common, multi-denominational school in a village that really only needed the one school, missionaries each built a school for their particular denomination and competed for students (Berman 1974:533). Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. 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. It is important for several reasons. 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. Apart from giving to the converts a new religious faith which they consider is superior to the traditional religions, the Christian missionaries did pioneering work in introducing new crafts, industries, Western education and modern health services. The people received the message with indifference. Amidst much honest missionary activity in the country for two centuries, prosperity gospel teachers have also gained influence, and numerous indigenous cults have arisen with distinct appeal and just enough truth to create confusion and syncretism. All rights reserved. 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. Although the aim of the traders was to practice commerce 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. In fact, the Christian missionaries encouraged Ghanaians to reject African names and choose Christian names instead. This decreased the zeal with which people began to accept the Gospel leading to nominal Christianity. wassce literature questions. So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? The first Europeans arrived at the West-African Coasts at the end of the fifteenth century. Your email address will not be published. Missionaries travelled through dense evergreen forests, crossed rivers and climbed mountains to bring the Gospel to as many Ghanaians as they could. In addition to contributing to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. 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. 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). He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. The Methodists founded Mfantsipim (1876) for boys and Wesley Girls High School (1884). The Roman Catholic Sisters provided medical care in the Upper and Northern Regions of the country before the government started to provide hospitals and clinics in the regional and district headquarters. The reservation of high-level positions in the colonial administrations for Europeans and the corresponding mission education that provided education fit only for lower positions meant that the withdrawal of European rule could cause serious political instability in the newly independent colonies. We shall now turn our attention to the activities of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. In 1989-90, the government banned the activities of several religious organizations, including the Church. Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. After more than 20 years at Pope John XXIII School, he returned to the United States and served as parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd in Trenton, N.J., where he lived with Father Tetteh. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. For instance, in Nigeria in 2006, approximately only 51.2% of primary school teachers of either gender were trained as teachers, and the enrolment rate in primary education for both genders in 2000 stood at about 62.7%, compared to 99.5% in Canada (UN Data 2010). The European missionaries engaged in trading and other commercial activities as well. By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. The Basel Mission. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. In fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. In 1950 Albert Academy was founded in Freetown; for-a long lime it was the secondary school in the Colony serving largely children from the provinces, among them were the future heads of state, Sir Milton Margai and Dr. Siaka Stevens. 2023 Society of the Divine Word. Series CLS. Metadata. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. A notable example was the Asafo Company, a purely military and social organisation of the peoples of Ghana, which was condemned by the early missionaries because of its presumed connection with fetish practices. PDF Challenges of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Sign in to view the collection. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. Through academic lessons and lessons on Western etiquette and hygiene, mission students were isolated from their traditional cultures, a traumatic experience that would continue to trouble many students for the rest of their lives. Theres still so much to be learned from the history of education in Africa and its long-term consequences. The lead was followed by other missionaries, notably the Roman Catholic, whose first higher institution was St Edwards Secondary School in Freetown. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. As happened in parts of Yorubaland in the last century, some of the Christian missionaries often engaged in local politics and took an active part in helping the colonial authorities in their wars of territorial expansion. Cookies are small, safe and secure text files that sit on your computer which we use to give you a better experience on our site and help us improve the service that we provide to you. Almost all the missions in West Africa faced financial problems in the early stages of their missionary work. 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). There were related organizations that sprang up in Scandinavia, Holland and the USA. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. Prominent among the early Christian missionaries to come to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Basel, Bremen and Anglican missions. This post may contain affiliate links. The missionaries condemned African religion, music, art, festivals and customary practices. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. 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). Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. opened was the Christian Institute, established in 1814 for the training of teachers, catechists and priests. Contribution of Christian Missionaries in Ghana - Cegast Academy The history of education in Ghana from the earliest times to the A large body of studies show that missionaries had a lasting impact beyond their early years. In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. senior high school history In my study, I explored how colonial era conflicts and disagreements over marriage norms lastingly affected educational development. 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. Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. During this period, difficulties encountered were different from the initial difficulties which will more related to sickness, deaths and the suspicion of indigenous people in accepting the Gospel. Another contribution of missionaries to the development of Ghana was their pioneering role in writing many local languages. Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. New team members can be part of establishing a biblical foundation for the next generation of believers, the growth of nationally-led churches, and church planting in Ghana. *You can also browse our support articles here >. First, missions saw education foremost as a means of conversion (Ayandele 1966: 286; Bassey 1991: 36; Berman 1974:527; Foster 1965:85; Sheffield 1973:11). This thesis discusses and assesses contribution of Christian Missionaries to education in Meru from 1908 to 1963. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. 2006 - 2023 Microform Academic Publishers | Microform Academic Publishers is a division of Microform Imaging Limited (Company registered in England no. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into writing. This research was funded by the European Research Council. Included on the website is information about the charitys programs, such as their Leadership Development Program in which participants earn a degree in their chosen field of study, and participate in Christian leadership training, enabling them to become a fully developed agent of change in their nation (Compassion Canada 2011). Containing 9,566 pages belonging to 77 documents housed in 6 volumes As outlined in the short history entitled. The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. The practice of inflicting multiple wounds on the bodies of so-called spirit babies now belongs to history. C.M.S. Please click this link to download the chapter. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. 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. Daystar Press, 1978. 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. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. While colonial administration in colonies such as Kenya attempted to some degree to provide training for Kenyans to fill the high-level positions (Sheffield 1973:86), the attempts in many cases fell short, and when the European administration left, Kenya, for instance, had few sufficiently educated replacements (Sheffield 1973:88). I will earn a commission if you follow a link to purchase a product. History The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. Thus, as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. Vol. 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. As long as the Africans could read the Bible, the missionaries were satisfied that they had had enough academic education. Role of Missionaries in Colonial African Education - UKEssays.com Besides education, they cared for the sick. 2018). It happens that some people convert at the end of their life in order to be buried in the prestigious Presbyterian cemetery. Let's look in-depth into these scholarships. Find below a list of mission schools that still exist in Ghana today. churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. 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. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. However, accustomed to monogamy, few European missionaries were open to such arguments. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. They discovered that the holy book did not clearly prescribe monogamy, and contained several examples of renowned Christian polygamists. Series CLR. 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. The first missionaries to come to Ghana were the Roman Catholic missionaries in the 15th century and the Anglican missionaries. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. With the support of the Propagation of the Faith within the Vatican, whose Cardinal Secretary became Pope Gregory XVI, various Roman Catholic missionary societies were founded. The governor had observed the bad moral life of the Europeans in the fort. 26. The copies of letters received, 1890-1927, mention the plan from 1914 to gain control of future Ashanti Chiefs using education. 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. Study for free with our range of university lectures! Moreover, mission education formed a poor foundation for future educational conditions in the former colonies.