In the wake of the many civil society organisations in Ghana kicking against the introduction of the controversial Guidelines for the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) by the Ghana Education Service into the School curricula, the Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, the Bishop in charge of Education in Ghana, has stated that Ghana as a nation has a social and cultural identity to protect by ensuring the children are taught the proper curriculum.

In a Sermon at the Accra Archdiocesan Feast Day celebration of the  St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Society at the Holy Spirit Cathedral on Saturday, October 5, called on parents to rise up to their responsibilities in educating their children as first or primary educators. He said responsibilities given to parents and families by God was non-negotiable and cannot be taken over by any institution.

Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie interacting with some members of the St. Theresa of the Child Jesus during their feast day celebration at the Holy Spirit cathedral in Accra October 5, 2019. (Photo by Damian Avevor, Accra).

Many Civil Society and Faith-Based Organisations including the Office of the National Chief Imam (ONCI) and other Islamic organisations in Ghana have described the CSE as a “satanic” move that must be dropped in the interest of the country.

Ghana and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the CSE programme this year in a bid to empower adolescents and young people to deepen their scope of existing activities to attain a Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). The CSE is supported by the governments of Sweden and Ireland is known as the “Our right, Our lives, Our Future.”

The Archbishop of Accra therefore asked the members of the Society of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus who are mostly women “to rise up to the formation of their children,” noting that the Catholic Church has taught a lot  and has many teachings about family life which should be a guide.

He stated that the family is the beginning and basis of society, hence the family provides a vital link to society and nourishes it. “If the family is rotten, society also gets rotten,” he added.

In view of that, the Archbishop pointed out that the State (Government) has the responsibility to consult parents and families in matters concerning the education of their children while it must make the effort to listen to parents because they (parents) are the primary educators of their children.

Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie with the executive members of the St. Theresa of the Child Jesus during their feast day celebration at the Holy Spirit cathedral in Accra October 5, 2019. (Photo by Damian Avevor, Accra).

According to him, it is from families that the citizens are born, hence become the first school, asking parents not to shy away from their responsibilities. He said that they “have a moral responsibility towards their children. He also asked parents to show utmost interest in what teachers teach their children in School.”

He stated that the State should not be allowed to play politics with the education of children, stressing that the inconsistencies the CSE brouhaha do not help in building the nation.

He added that the authorities must be humble to acknowledge that they have wrongly introduced an education policy which is not good for children.

Last week, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Philip Naameh, also strongly rejected CSE being introduced by the Ghana Education Service into the School curricula.

He asked all Ghanaians to resist CSE in the education curricula which is an agenda being pushed by some western non-governmental Organisations.

But, the Ghana Education Service (GES), in statement October 1, said that the introduction of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) into the basic school curriculum will not undermine Ghanaian cultural norms, which many Ghanaians have described as totally unacceptable and asked Ghanaians to outrightly reject this idea which is alien to the cultural values of the country.

Source: Damian Avevor