….After Catholic Bishops’ outcry
The Ministry of Education has assured the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) that it will initiate the necessary legislative process to amend the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049), to ensure adequate representation of recognized faith-based organizations on the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council.
The assurance follows concerns raised by the Conference over the exclusion of its representative from the GES Council and the implications of the development for education governance and discipline in schools.
In a statement signed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, yesterday, Thursday, August 27, 2026, the Ministry said it had taken note of the concerns and acknowledged the significant role faith-based organizations had played in the development of education in Ghana.
It explained that the Ghana Education Service Act, 1995 (Act 506), provided for three representatives of faith-based organizations on the GES Council, while the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049), reduced the representation to one.
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The Ministry described the situation as an anomaly and said it was identified during the process of constituting the GES Council in 2025.
“The Ministry, in constituting the GES Council in 2025, noticed this anomaly of inadequate representation of the faith-based organizations and decided to hold on to it until Act 1049 is amended to adequately cater for faith-based institutions,” it said.
According to the Ministry, it subsequently began engaging relevant stakeholders as part of efforts to advance the government’s decentralization policy in education.
It said the proposed legislative amendment would provide for appropriate representation of all recognized faith-based organizations on the GES Council.
“The Ministry will initiate the necessary legislative process to amend the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049) to provide for appropriate representation of all recognized faith-based organizations on the GES Council,” the statement said.
The Ministry reiterated its commitment to an inclusive, consultative and collaborative approach to education governance, adding that it would continue engaging stakeholders to strengthen the education sector.
It also expressed appreciation to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and other faith-based organizations for their contribution to education in Ghana.
The Ministry, however, urged the organizations to support government efforts to address what it described as growing indiscipline in the education sector while the legislative review is undertaken.
The assurance follows strong concerns expressed by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference over the removal of its representative from the GES Council.
The Conference argued that the exclusion was contributing to the growing challenge of indiscipline and immorality in Senior High Schools (SHSs), and said it was unfortunate that the Catholic Church was increasingly being sidelined from key decision-making processes in the education sector.
President of the Conference, Most Rev. Matthew Gyamfi, raised the concern when the Bishops met Parliament’s Chieftaincy, Culture and Religious Affairs Committee.
He described the exclusion of the Church from the GES Council as “unfortunate and saddening”, stressing that the Catholic Church, as the second-largest provider of formal education in Ghana, had made significant contributions to the development of the country’s education system.
“Where decisions are made on education, we who contributed towards education are not there,” Most Rev. Gyamfi said.
He questioned why authorities continued to express concern about indiscipline in schools while sidelining institutions whose core mandate was to promote discipline, morality, and character formation.
“Now we talk about indiscipline in schools as if we do not know why there is indiscipline. We know it,” he stated.
According to him, the exclusion of the Church from education-related decision-making processes undermined efforts to tackle the moral and disciplinary challenges confronting schools.
“If the one whose core is to instil discipline and morality into people is eliminated and not given the right to do this, then why ask why there is indiscipline and immorality in the schools?” he asked.
The Catholic Church has historically played a major role in Ghana’s education sector, establishing and managing numerous schools across the country.
The Conference has therefore called on the relevant authorities to recognize the contribution of faith-based institutions and ensure their meaningful participation in policy formulation and decision-making on education.
It maintained that stronger collaboration between the state and faith-based education providers was essential to addressing challenges in the sector, particularly indiscipline, moral decadence, and declining standards of conduct among students.
The Ministry’s proposed legislative review is expected to provide an opportunity to address the concerns and establish a broader framework for the participation of recognized faith-based organizations in the governance of pre-tertiary education.
