contribution of missionaries to education in ghana

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). This decreased the zeal with which people began to accept the Gospel leading to nominal Christianity. He had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Similar organizations were formed in several other European countries. 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. DISCLOSURE. The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. He also blogs at BloggingtotheMax.com. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. How to Get Involved in Church Missions: The Ultimate Guide, 16 Causes of Crime Essay (with Solutions), Justify the Title of the Novel Second Class Citizen, The Role of Ghana in the Formation of the OAU, Economic Developments in Ghana Before Independence, 11 Causes of the Rise of Nationalism in Africa, Importance of the Odwira Festival in Ghana. Called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. The first missionaries to come to Ghana were the Roman Catholic missionaries in the 15th century and the Anglican missionaries. The Society of the Divine Word is the world's largest Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers who focus on missionary work. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. senior high school government In the British colonies, as elsewhere, religious missions were instrumental in introducing European-style education. Among other things the regulations required that all teachers should be registered, and a minimum salary was fixed. However, by the turn of the Nineteenth Century there was systematic efforts by churches of Christian Europe, namely: Anglicans, Methodists, and Baptists who were active in Sierra Leone and, with Presbyterians, in Nigeria, while Methodists also set up missions in Ghana, Gambia, and Dahomey. The Scottish Missionary Society had been working in Calabar, Nigeria, also a British colony adjacent to the Gold Coast and it was from the Calabar Presbyterian Church in Nigeria that a missionary was sent to take charge of the Presbyterian work in the Gold Coast after the deportations. Daystar Press, 1978. WAEC 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. 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. One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. 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. 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 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. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. They were replaced in Sierra Leone by the Holy Ghost Fathers in 1864, who made converts in large numbers not only among the pagans but also among the members of the then competing Christian churches. They discovered that the holy book did not clearly prescribe monogamy, and contained several examples of renowned Christian polygamists. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. The study examines the historical foundations of Western education in Meru and factors that influenced its development. If a government fails to regulate schools at all, they have no right to complain that the education in their colony is poor. In my study, I explored how colonial era conflicts and disagreements over marriage norms lastingly affected educational development. As happened in Ghana, the development of training colleges in Nigeria was slower than secondary schools, though the C. M. S. had opened the first training college at Abeokuta as far back as 1849. Establishment of Christian Churches In Sierra Leone. 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. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, Accra . The evangelical societies founded in the Americas included the Baptist Missionary Board and the Nova Scotian Methodists, whose members went to work among the Maroons, who had settled mainly in Liberia. ABWE first began work in Ghana with a goal to reach unchurched Ghanaians in the Volta Region with the gospel and then to expand evangelism efforts to other parts of the country. In such asituation, provisions and other things had to be sent into the country not in large quantities as would have been desired by the missionaries. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. This post may contain affiliate links. Besides education, they cared for the sick. 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. 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. Joseph Dunwell. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. Arnold, 1986. 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. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. History of the church in Africa: a survey. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. The others included the Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. 2023 Society of the Divine Word. However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. non-slave trade), Christianity, Civilization and Colonization. bible knowledge These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions In Ghana, missions strategically weighted costs and benefits when choosing where to establish their churches and schools. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. History books tended to exaggerate in achievements of Europeans, making no reference to Africans own great past. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. This chapter traces the origins and long-term development of African mass education in colonial sub-Saharan Africa. In short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. 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 lead was followed by other missionaries, notably the Roman Catholic, whose first higher institution was St Edwards Secondary School in Freetown. These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. In Sierra Leone, the Church Missionary Society (CMS), offshoot of the Anglican Church, was the first to become firmly established chiefly among the freed captive and freed slave settlers from Britain, Nova Scotia and other parts of the New World. The contents of this tutorial will serve as a guide for a suitable essay on the below WAEC/WASSCE History past question. Literature We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. 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. Some of the missionaries came with them (549 years ago) but many died from the cruel tropical weather of forested West Africa. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. 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. 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. university courses hbbd```b``vd d"e ] DrI`5 d"(/ First, alignment can help you communicate your . It happens that some people convert at the end of their life in order to be buried in the prestigious Presbyterian cemetery. However, as Jonathan Miran (2002) argues in his work on the roles of missionaries and the Italian state in Eritrean education, missionaries should not be held solely accountable for the poor standards of education. 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). The History of Christianity in West Africa. This is the famous Presbyterian Teacher Training College founded in 1848 at Akropong-Akwapim. churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. Notably among these missionaries are the Wesleyan, Basel, and Bremen. Private Study The Christian Connector Scholarship. This company promoted the import and export trade in Ghana. Public money was spent only on the small number of government schools, totaling nineteen when Governor Guggisberg assumed office in 1919. Europe in those days looked upon Africa as the Dark Continent with very primitive civilizations, and most Europeans refused to adapt their religion to suit the local situation. Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. Among these were the Congregation of the Holy Ghost (commonly known as the Holy Ghost Father), the Society of African Missions (SMA), the Society of Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as the White Fathers because of the white Muslim-like clothing which the Fathers wore, and the society of the Divine Word (SVD, abbreviated from its Latin name). Brief History. Hope Waddell started pioneering work, in 1846, in Calabar. Alignment is the degree of congruence between your teaching philosophy and your institution's mission. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. It was not until the nineteenth century, that the new religion was really established in West Africa. It is interesting to note that while in many ways missionaries sought to isolate students from their cultures, missionaries often insisted in teaching in the native languages. 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. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. Website design and development by Americaneagle.com, Inc, Society of the Divine Word- Western Province, Society of the Divine Word- Southern Province. All rights reserved. The result is that today, many Africans are alienated from their authentic ways of life. Lewis, Donald M., ed. Their educational activities helped spread literacy and vocational skills training among Ghanaians. The greatest problem faced by the early European Christian missionaries was, the tropical climate and health Hazards. It is possible to hear the tune of this missionary hymn. English for life senior high school history These contradictions are surprisingly absent from contemporary research. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. 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. Consequently, they couldnt do much to promote the cultivation of food crops like maize, cassava, cocoyam and plantain. Today, human sacrifice is generally frowned upon and considered an abomination. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. In fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. ]v#5%{,%Y{iKsZ|Cm7NismGmg_zxKYh?>bQ?ni8G.wx:qAm$ eb!^Kr$,.9Qq^|1. Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education. Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. 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 was around the same time that the first Portuguese sailors arrived on the coast of Ghana. 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. 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). 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. She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. 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). But that increase was greater in monogamous societies. Although there were many disagreements between European missionaries and African populations, antagonising polygamy is probably the best-documented norm conflict. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. Properly meant by Anglo-Saxon standards. 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. Furthermore, missionaries, believing in the civilizing mission, attempted to disintegrate traditional society through education by choosing academic subjects, such as the histories of the Western colonial powers, that illustrated the superiority of the Western culture, as well as by teaching about the superiority of the West in non-academic matters such as hygiene. Their economic activities went beyond the development of agriculture. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. As a member of the Church of England, it interests me to see echoes of Christian educational efforts by organizations such as Compassion Canada in the educational efforts of the missionary branch of the Anglican Church, the Church Missionary Society, or CMS. Henry Townsend who went from Sierra Leone to Badagry in 1842 in his company was the Rev Ajayi Crowther. This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. Today almost all of the population is Presbyterian, although the ancestral royal cult and many spirit cults still flourish. For instance, in the Salisbury region of Rhodesia, it was reported in 1924 that no male teachers had educational qualifications (Bone 1969:28). The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. They were closed down in 1852 in favour of schools opened in Lagos which, in 1851, had one time British control. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. These attempts were traumatic for the students and threatened the survival of unique cultures. Reiterating what teacher education must encapsulate, Adegoke (2003) and Benneh (2006) indi-cated that the mission of Ghana's teacher education is to pro- The Christian religion teaches the doctrine of one supreme God and is opposed to the worship of any other forms of deity. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. We shall begin with the positive contribution of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. The missionaries seemed to have concentrated much of their effort on the production of export crops. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! In 1858 the Rev. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. Ramseyer had at first not intended a missionary sojourn in Ashanti. By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. life skills West Africa and Christianity. ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. essay writing The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. The Essay Writing ExpertsUK Essay Experts. In traditionally monogamous societies, primary school completion increased by about eight percent, but only four percent in polygamous societies. 1931. The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. Its message was that of love and the universal brotherhood of mankind. Father Burke was preceded in death by his parents and his brother John. A.G. Frazer, did much to encourage the promotion of indigenous culture, but by and large the colonial authorities contributed to dwindling a good deal of our cultural heritage. A short history of education in British West Africa. 0 He moved to Techny in 2016. Andrew Jackson Foster (1925-1987) was an American pioneer of deaf education in several countries in Africa. 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. As negative as all these impacts of the missionaries undoubtedly were for the African pupils, the long-term consequences are arguably as serious. Apart from the extreme south and the Horn, the interior was hardly touched by Europeans before the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. Thus, despite what the images of suffering African children on websites such as that of Compassion Canada might lead one to believe, it is time for Africans to educate their own, without any interference. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. Sign in to view the collection. 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. In short, the impact of teaching in the vernacular was more negative than positive, as it reinforced colonial rule and no doubt did very little to preserve native cultural identities, seeing as missionaries promoted European languages as superior and only used the vernacular because conversion and religious instruction were such high priorities. The resulting atmosphere of disunity enabled the European colonialists to easily achieve their goal of economic exploitation. But with the abolition of slavery, the introduction of cocoa, and the Churchs efficient school system, she gradually became the Church of the social elite. 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. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. Theres still so much to be learned from the history of education in Africa and its long-term consequences. It is simply one of the gross evils of heathen society which, like habitual murder or slavery, must at all costs be ended. Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. The country has diverse geography, people groups, and languageswith English as the common language, and more than 11 others with state recognition. Now, with the burgeoning Cocoa industry, the expansion of commercial activity, the development of gold mines and the building of roads and railways disturbed the traditional lifestyle. 517 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<2E41B338ACB2B2110A00B08D5A5CFE7F>]/Index[503 20]/Info 502 0 R/Length 86/Prev 357984/Root 504 0 R/Size 523/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. In line with this, formal education in Ghana was started by the western traders and the missionaries by the 15th century through the 18th century respectively. In addition to contributing to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. It is much easier to interact on an equal basis or even challenge the authority of another group when one is able to communicate in that groups language, instead of having to rely on an interpreter or non-verbal gestures, which undermine ones ability to show authority or express ones beliefs. All work is written to order. This involved learning to read in the vernacular (Hadfield cited in Bone 1969:7). The high temperatures coupled with high rainfall patterns in some parts of the country experienced during the daytime, made the missionaries stay indoors, which slowed down their activities. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. And thats why I decided to look deeply into this issue. 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). Establishment of Christian Churches In The Gambia. hR]0+^$%K{_"/HevgV+bH6L %)`\ #\E*63Z_TsxlRZj:[/\IL-1b-i Help those suffering in Turkey and Syria. Already have a license? Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. The early Christian missions concentrated their activities not only on religious matters. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. Besides education, they cared for the sick. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? Some observers have argued that the Europeans used the Christian bible to justify the practice of slavery and the slave trade. The impact of Christianity on West African society has persisted to this day.

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contribution of missionaries to education in ghana