contribution of missionaries to education in ghana

Also, Christian missionaries in Ghana were as zealous as their counterparts in Nigeria in pioneering medical services. which were for females (Graham, 1971). Their personal and family choices influenced the expansion speed of missionary education. Thank you! First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. Governments are also not free from blame even if they had a laissez-faire educational policy, as in Ghana, where until 1944 the registration of schools was not required and no attempt was made to exert detailed control even over the activities of grant-aided [by the government] institutions except for a series of minimal registrations (Foster 1965:114). The Christian Connector Scholarship. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. Waterville Pub. The statistical evidence suggests that education would have spread more evenly. Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. This conditioning was focused on norms that missionaries deemed incompatible with a Christian way of life. 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). 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). While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. Missionary Work in Ghana: The Genesis - African Research The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. Two other training colleges opened by the missionaries, in the early days, were the Wesley College in Kumasi (1922) and the Roman Catholic Training College at Amisano, near Elmina (1931) which in 1936 moved to the campus of the newly founded secondary school, St Augustines College at Cape Coast. In addition to promoting a monogamous lifestyle in their schools, missionaries often insisted on divorces before polygamists or their children could even enrol. A short history of education in British West Africa. Today, human sacrifice is generally frowned upon and considered an abomination. Joseph Dunwell. crs questions and anwers CUP Archive, 1979. Father Jean Marie Coquard, operating in and from Abeokuta for forty years, was renowned among the Egba as a priest and surgeon in the second half of the nineteenth century. Earlier in 1846, the Rev. Another missionary whose memory is revered in Nigeria was Mary Slessor, she arrived in the country in 1876, and for many years worked assiduously as a missionary nurse. The History of Christianity in West Africa. university courses 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. Contribution of Christian Missionaries in Ghana - Cegast Academy hbbd```b``vd d"e ] DrI`5 d"(/ 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. B. et al. If a government fails to regulate schools at all, they have no right to complain that the education in their colony is poor. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. A large body of studies show that missionaries had a lasting impact beyond their early years. The others include the French trading posts at Grand Bassam (Ivory Coast), Assinie and Libreville in Gabon. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. 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. Contributions of Missionaries Towards Education in India For three years, he taught English and biblical ethics. 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. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. Sign in to view the collection. Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. Its general scope extends to both Roman Catholic as well as Protestant missionaries in relation to education works. Some of these effects are still with us today. This hymn sums up the reasons why the Christian missionaries came to Africa and other parts of the world. 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. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. Renewed evangelism started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . People all around the world are searching for hope, but many dont have someone to tell them about the hope found in Jesus. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. The resulting atmosphere of disunity enabled the European colonialists to easily achieve their goal of economic exploitation. Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. Chapter by Chapter Summaries of Second Class Citizen, 22 Reading Comprehension Past Questions and Answers, Second Class Citizen Summarized: Plot Summary, Themes & Characters, 50+ List of Characters in Second Class Citizen, Top 7 Reasons for the Colonization of Africa, 90+ Likely Grammatical Name (Past) Questions and Answers, Black Woman Analyzed: Subject Matter, Themes and Poetic Devices, Analysis of Bat: Meaning, Themes and Poetic Devices, 20+ Sample WASSCE English Summary Questions and Answers, Chapter 2 Summary of Second Class Citizen, Bookshop: High School Textbooks for Sale (PDF), English Language Audio Lessons Free (mp3), Download Key WASSCE PDFs, E-Books and More, July 2002 WAEC Economics Questions and Answers, 2001 WAEC Economics Questions and Answers (Nov-Dec), WASSCE 2000 Economics Questions and Answers, WASSCE 2002 Economics Past Questions and Answers, Is It You and Me or You and I? 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. Without denying that prior to the introduction of Christianity in West Africa the people had developed their own crafts, one must admit that it was Christian missionaries who introduced modern forms of crafts such as carpentry and masonry. A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. In 1827 it grew into Fourah Bay College. essay writing We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. 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. We shall begin with the positive contribution of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. 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. 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. 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. Operating from Whydah in what is today the Peoples Republic of Benin (formerly Dahomey), Father Berghero, in 1860, visited Abeokuta and Lagos where freed Catholic slaves from Brazil welcomed him warmly. adult education Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Bristol Archives/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. 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. They were at the forefront during the fight for self-rule in Ghana. It was also terribly hard for a woman to be driven away, and to lose her status in the society where she is respected as a wife and a mother. Father Burke became director of the Divine Word Language and Cultural Centre in Ghana. skills for his or her future role in the society (Hetherington, 1979; Davidoff, 1980; Aboagye, 1997). All rights reserved. Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. 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? Public money was spent only on the small number of government schools, totaling nineteen when Governor Guggisberg assumed office in 1919. This is the famous Presbyterian Teacher Training College founded in 1848 at Akropong-Akwapim. Moreover, mission education formed a poor foundation for future educational conditions in the former colonies. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. 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. C.M.S. Series CLS. Vol. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. In the British colonies, as elsewhere, religious missions were instrumental in introducing European-style education. 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. senior high school history The Basel missionaries arrived on the shores of the Gold Coast in 1828 and 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. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. Both the academic and vocational forms of education the missions provided served to strengthen the rule of the colonial powers, so that the native inhabitants were second-class citizens in their own land. It was not until the nineteenth century, that the new religion was really established in West Africa. The story of the planting of Christianity in Nigeria would be incomplete without a mention of the Italian Roman Catholic priest, Father Berghero. The missionaries believed that in order to stabilize the faith of converts and to assist in character development, it was necessary that they should be able to read the scriptures or other books of religious instruction, translated by the missions. Establishment of Christian Churches In Ghana. 4; img 109. Longman Publishing Group, 1980. Mobility depended on the . Furthermore, mission schools discouraged traditional ways of life outside of the classroom. Longman Nigeria Plc., 1994, Boahen, A.A. et al Tropics in West Africa History. Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. This was the work of the great missionary, Thomas Birch Freeman, who placed two missionaries, Mr and Mrs. de Graft, in charge of the school. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. Indeed, most of our early nationalists were all products of mission schools. Although the aim of the traders was to practice commerce The education and skill development of the people is the highest, most potent agent of national development that the Church imparts to its output of students, scholars, and professionals who perform various precious roles in the various sectors of the national economy for national development,' he stated. Daystar Press, 1978. Predominantly Muslim territory, the North received western education later than the South. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. By using postcolonial theory as a framework for analysis, it is evident that the Western formal education introduced to the people of the Gold Coast by the Christian missionaries and the British Colonial government did not serve the indigenous population well. 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. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. The consequences of norm conflicts are likely to manifest beyond educational pursuit. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. 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. endstream endobj 504 0 obj <>>>/Lang(en)/MarkInfo<>/Metadata 55 0 R/Outlines 135 0 R/Pages 498 0 R/StructTreeRoot 142 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 505 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 499 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 506 0 obj <>stream For example, they preached against human sacrifice. 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa For instance, the Basel Mission established the first teacher training college in Ghana. Some of these new crops were grapes coffee, mango, ginger, and olives. Arnold, 1986. Wed love to get to know you and discuss how God is calling you. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. The early European Christian missionaries in West Africa experienced a number of difficulties, some arising from factors outside their control and others of their own making. The European missionaries engaged in trading and other commercial activities as well. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana personal development Among the first missionaries was the Rev. Joseph Dunwell. Babalola, E. O. Christianity in West Africa. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. They worked to write the bible, dictionaries and textbooks in such Ghanaian Languages as Ewe, Fanti, Ga and Twi. Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. In 2011 at age 77, he retired from teaching and returned to the United States. He was very simple in dress and in the use of modern technology, Father Tetteh said. The Akim area had about 3400 converts over 32 villages and there were about 900 children distributed in 27 Schools. The Society of the Divine Word is the world's largest Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers who focus on missionary work. There were no Bibles in local languages, likewise grammar books were scant, so the missionaries had to spend time learning local languages, and translated the Bible and wrote series of grammar books. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. Looking for a flexible role? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Missions, Education and Conversion in Colonial Africa The lead was followed by other missionaries, notably the Roman Catholic, whose first higher institution was St Edwards Secondary School in Freetown. 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. As founder and director at CEGAST, he has successfully coached thousands of students in English, Literature, and related subjects for major international examinations. 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 Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. This comes at no extra cost to you. West Africa owes to the Christian missionaries not only a new religious faith which has changed the beliefs and life of millions of people, but also the foundation of western education. 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. senior high school economics (with Examples), Top 20 Topics in English for Academic Purposes, 7 Rules of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, 10 Importance of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, How to Get a Degree Without Going to High School, Joseph Rhodes Dunwell Methodist Missionary, 1835, Thomas Birch Freeman Methodist Missionary, 1838, Thomas Thompson Society for the Propagation of the Gospel/Anglican, 1752, Wesley Girls High School, Cape Coast Methodist missionaries, Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast Methodist, Adisadel College, Cape Coast Anglican Missionaries, Holy Child School, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, St Augustines College, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, Archbishop Potter Girls School, Takoradi, Aburi Girls Secondary School Presbyterian, St Monicas High School, Mampong Anglican. Their converts, for many years, were confined to the people of southern Nigerian extraction resident in the north, and to the-large non-Muslim population of the north. Andreas Riis, assisted by a team of West Indian evangelists, laid the foundations of the Basel Missionary Church in the country. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, the Moravian Mission, the Mission of Bremen, the Methodists, and Roman Catholic missionaries all established themselves on the Gold Coast (Ghana) between 1820 and 1881, opening elementary schools for boys and girls . 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. primarily purposed to outline the contributions of religion and education to national development in Ghana. Copyright 2023 ABWE. 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. These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. 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. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect their decisions. CONTRIBUTION OF CHRISTIANITY TO WEST AFRICA. While they frowned upon bridewealth, female genital cutting, or matrilineality, they held a special grudge against polygamy. The missionary activities in Nigeria, especially their educational programs helped to whip-up the consciousness of a shared identity and helped to train a new set of elite that championed the course of nationalism and constituted a virile leadership for the young nation at independence.Click to see full answer What is missionary education?A mission school or [] Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. After World War I was declared in 1914, the German missionaries were restricted in their movements by the British in the British colonies. 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. Not only did mission education strengthen colonial rule, but it also weakened traditional societies and implemented poor standards of Western education. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. 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. The most momentous discovery in western Africa came in 1471, when Portuguese captains first reached the coast of modern Ghana between the mouths of the Ankobra and Volta rivers. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. Besides education, they cared for the sick. As Ayandele points out (1966:285), the ideal of many of the missions was to make their converts live literally as the unlearned and ignorant apostles of old. This ideal, combined with the fact that many missionaries discovered that Africans with only basic education were best at spreading the Gospel, meant that missionaries were reluctant to provide higher primary or secondary education (Ayandele 1966:286). In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. 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. Technical and vocational education had been emphasized in the education system in Ghana since the colonial era. Thus missionaries, by imparting education that promoted dependence on colonial rule, arguably contributed to the political instability that continues in the present day in many former African colonies, such as Kenya and Eritrea. Indeed, in some situations the converts were taught to feel that they were absolved from obeying their own traditional rulers and certain laws of the state. However the superficial motivations and ideologies have changed, at the most basic level both contemporary Northern charities and nineteenth century missionaries share the belief that the North must come and save the suffering natives, which in the case of the missionaries, has been proven to have inflicted more harm than provided relief. In addition to studying the impact of these struggles on education, we also need to understand how they influenced gender inequality. Metadata. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. Alignment is the degree of congruence between your teaching philosophy and your institution's mission. 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. The foreign exchange earnings helped to develop Ghanas infrastructure. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! This research was funded by the European Research Council. 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. The Journal of Negro Education, 8 8 The Effect of Western Formal The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. They even considered traditional drumming and African clothing as practices that were not worthy in the sight of the Lord. The Ghana Education Decentralization Project (GEDP), launched in 2010 and ended in 2012, has increased the influence of local authorities over management . Johann Christaller produced a similar work in Twi. Finally, education affects many other aspects of peoples lives, including economic opportunities and political attitudes. Your email address will not be published. The copies of letters received, 1890-1927, mention the plan from 1914 to gain control of future Ashanti Chiefs using education.

Deaths In Paulding County, Ga 2021, Harvey Levin House, Articles C