Ghana holds week-long Catholic Education celebrations

A week - long Catholic Education Week celebration in Ghana’s Cape Coast Metropolis has been launched at the Amanful Saint Joseph Catholic Church   in Cape Coast, with a call on students to take their academic work seriously in order that they become responsible future citizens.

Reverend Father Samuel Asantey, the priest-in-charge of the church who launched the week-long celebration, pointed out that the Catholic Church identifies education as an appropriate means to develop a person holistically, hence the establishment of schools throughout the country.

This year’s celebration  under the theme: “Catholic Education: A  Formation For Good Stewardship,” is in honour of all gallant teachers who retired compulsorily from the Ghana Education Service  upon turning 60 years in 2014. General Managers of Catholic Education Units were particularly commended for their hard work.

Fr Asantey indicated that Catholic Education was based on Gospel values, and that this year the Church was focusing on the value of stewardship, adding, “God created us to love and serve, we are to be happy stewards. The quality of our stewardship will depend on the type of education we receive”.

He said authentic and credible teachers were needed to provide holistic quality education, which equipped students to be competent for any work assigned them. He tasked teachers to serve as role models, real mentors who are very clear in their intents and who keep things in perspective.

Fr Asantey urged parents to take care of the educational needs of their children, by timely paying school fees and providing them with basic school needs.

Giving statistics on Catholic schools in the country, Fr Asantey said there were 1,533 kindergartens, 1,836 primary schools, 1,000 junior high schools, 59 senior high schools, 58 vocational/technical Institutes, 10 colleges of education and 9 tertiary Institutions.

Programmes lined-up for the celebration  which ends on 1 February, include a route march  through  the principal streets of Cape Coast , talks, guidance and counselling sessions, singing competition,  games, a  durbar to climax the celebration  and thanks-giving  service.

Catholic Education Week is celebrated annually in honour of St Thomas Aquinas, patron Saint of Schools.28 January is celebrated as the feast of St. Thomas of Aquinas. 

GNA