contribution of missionaries to education in ghana

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 missionaries also greatly improved the health services. 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. Crampton, Edmund Patrick Thurman. The Rev. 'In view of this idea, Mmofraturo, the first girls boarding school in Ashanti was officially . church were founded in south-eastern Nigeria, the chief centres being Bonny and Brass. Establishment of Christian Churches In Sierra Leone. Arnold, 1986. hb```,,g@( B(Pi xD r[e}v'$ImK *e()dP#jjTNl=VtN(%!30p0040tt0B GGc2m2@M``a$]x2\YkvIaB1b`h6f` (eAKPU d Groundless fears that the converts would become contaminated with paganism led some of the Christian missionaries, notably the Presbyterians, to separate the Christians from the rest of the township. 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. Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. The problems created by the white missionaries themselves arose largely from a misconception of what Africa represented. Looking for a flexible role? others adopted a system of education varied from one and the other hence, lacking consistency in the educational sector [3]. 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. 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 short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. History of the church in Africa: a survey. The CMS began to work in the freed slave villages in Sierra Leone in 1804 and the Methodist in 1811. The early Christian missions concentrated their activities not only on religious matters. CUP Archive, 1979. B. et al. 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. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. A permanent station was established in Lagos in 1868, soon followed by others at Lokoja, Abeokuta and Ibadan. Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. 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. Besides education, they cared for the sick. The missionaries seemed to have concentrated much of their effort on the production of export crops. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. We were expected to accept the European language as the superior one, and this was reinforced throughout my school career (Abu cited in Berman 1974:536). The missionaries condemned African religion, music, art, festivals and customary practices. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. (As at December 2020). Instead of needing to import skilled workers such as carpenters, the mission schools provided colonial governments with workers capable of building and maintaining the colonys infrastructure and basic technology, a contribution that kept the colonies running smoothly. If a government fails to regulate schools at all, they have no right to complain that the education in their colony is poor. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. The constant tensions between traditionalists and Christian converts often erupted into all-out conflicts. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. He professed vows in 1953 in Conesus, N.Y., and was ordained to the priesthood in 1961 at Techny, Ill. government questions Theres still so much to be learned from the history of education in Africa and its long-term consequences. Email: henrydonsco@gmail.com Rev. Then lets begin straightaway. Just look at the lyrics of this evangelizing song written in 1819 by Reginald Heber, a prolific English hymnist in the Anglican church. A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. 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 pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. Despite the skills and opportunities mission schooling afforded, many Africans were not willing to pay the price. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. 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. Africa and the Winder World 3. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. Specifically, it addresses the unique role of Christian missions in. Joseph Dunwell. 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. 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. As much as the governments liked to assign blame to the missions, they were also accountable for the poor education through their educational policies. The Basel Mission, as a result of this phenomenal expansion trained many local personnel to man the new stations. 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. Some earlier scholarship on mission education has taken this as a positive impact of the missionaries. 4>Ofv}TMdQ! She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. We shall begin with the positive contribution of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. Establishment of Christian Churches In The Gambia. Etherington, Norman. I well remember when he came to live with me in Trenton. They were to spread the message of the Gospel, render social services to the people and to assist in the suppression of slavery and the slave trade. For instance, the Basel Mission established Basel Mission Trading Company (UTC) in 1859. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The effort of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. While they frowned upon bridewealth, female genital cutting, or matrilineality, they held a special grudge against polygamy. 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. Their arrival in South Africa was aimed particularly at spreading the Word of God. These contradictions are surprisingly absent from contemporary research. 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. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. Thomas Thompson, arrived in Cape Coast in 1752. Teaching in the vernacular had an additional use as it further strengthened colonial rule, of which missionaries were often agents, for as the Kikuyu people of Kenya were aware, [the] inability to communicate in English would be a crucial factor in the perpetuation of their subordinate status in the colony (Berman 1974:531). Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. hR]0+^$%K{_"/HevgV+bH6L %)`\ #\E*63Z_TsxlRZj:[/\IL-1b-i Moreover, they introduced new crops into the Ghanaian economy. The training college later became part of Achimota College. Porter, Andrew. Request Permissions. The Ghana Education Decentralization Project (GEDP), launched in 2010 and ended in 2012, has increased the influence of local authorities over management . In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Another important German missionary was Wilhelm Johannson, better known by the English version of his name, William Johnson, who is revered in the history of the CMS in West Africa. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. For that matter, they rebelled against their chiefs and elders. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. African prose Again, the missionaries helped to pacify Africans while their rich natural resources were being plundered by the colonial government. By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. The European Christian missions preached the Gospel, built churches, and seminaries translated the Bible to Ghanaian Languages such as Ewe, Ga, and Twi. 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. 522 0 obj <>stream For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. It is simply one of the gross evils of heathen society which, like habitual murder or slavery, must at all costs be ended. The system was devoid of any cohesive national policy. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? And traditionally polygamous societies would have higher educational outcomes today. In fact, the Christian missionaries encouraged Ghanaians to reject African names and choose Christian names instead. Finally, education affects many other aspects of peoples lives, including economic opportunities and political attitudes. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. And thats why I decided to look deeply into this issue. *You can also browse our support articles here >. Babalola, E. O. Christianity in West Africa. quiz In an ironic twist, the more Africans became versed in the Bible, the more they began to challenge missionaries. Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education. Ghana Education Service seeks to create an enabling environment in all educational institutions and management positions that will facilitate effective teaching and learning and efficiency in the management for the attainment of the goals of the Service. After an unsuccessful beginning by the society of African Missions (SMA), this missionary body moved into other territories in what is now Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria. People all around the world are searching for hope, but many dont have someone to tell them about the hope found in Jesus. 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. Following ordination, he was sent to Washington, D.C., and the Catholic University of America, where he earned a masters degree in English literature.