03.06.2016 LISTEN
The campaign for effective partnership and participation in education delivery is in progress. Every individual, agency or organisation is being billed to join hands so as to give off the best of educational services to the Ghanaian child.
Quality education service delivery is, in fact, a shared task and it shall remain so. As the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service (GES) act as architects, supervisors and engineers of educational policies and programmes, stakeholders, including parents and guardians also direct, boost and assist in the implementation of the policies, programmes and projects towards meeting our national goals and aspirations.
The benefits of proper education are enormous for parents and government alone to enjoy and since stakeholders like local and traditional authorities and non-state actors also need them, there is the need for all of us to get on board to produce them.
Just recently, I produced the article, “Effective partnership for quality education: USAID Learning in focus”. But now, the focus is on Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and quality education.
The Director-General of GES, Mr. Jacob Kor, has just returned from Wa after participating in the 10th Annual Conference of Heads and Managers of Ahmadiyya Educational Institutions of Ghana (CHAMAEIG). The invitation was to have him speak on “Quality teaching and learning outcomes in pre-tertiary institutions in Ghana: the role of faith-based institutions” which he did honour.
The six-day Conference, which took place on the campus of the Nusrat Jahan College of Education, also had in attendance Alhaji Maulanaa Noor-Mohammed Bin Salih, the Ameer and Missionary in charge of Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission (Ghana) himself as the chairman; chief of Guli and member of Council of State, Naa Seidu Braimah; Upper West Regional Minister Aminu Amidu Sulemana; Dimbie Mumuni Issah, acting General Manager of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Education Unit in Ghana, among others.
At the Conference, Mr. Kor once again lauded religious bodies, including Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission when he said, “GES, and for that matter the Government of Ghana, does not only see religious bodies, including the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission of Ghana, as a stakeholder but also as a kingpin in the task of providing quality education to the Ghanaian child”.
“…as we meet today to assess our performance and to strategise for the future as an association, let us be mindful of the fact that GES and Government cannot do it all alone and so the need for bodies like you to continue to join hands in order to improve the educational standards”, he added.
The Ahmadiyya Mission was introduced into Gold Coast in 1921 and by 1923, the first Ahmadiyya Primary School had been opened at Saltpond in Central Region. Few years after 1923, a lot of primary and middle schools were opened in all over the country by which time the Mission had also set up the Ahmadiyya Educational Unit to oversee the establishment and management of its schools, including senior high and tertiary institutions.
The main aim of the Ahmadiyya Education Unit, according to Mr. Dimbie Issah, is to provide quality academic, spiritual and moral training to members and Ghanaian children with special focus on persons living in deprived rural communities.
The Mission has been credited with the establishment of renowned schools and colleges like T.I. Ahmadiyya Muslim senior high schools in Kumasi, Asante-Mampong and Potsin and the Nusrat Jahan Ahmadiyya College of Education.
The Mission prides itself for having provided school education to personalities like Adansi-Asokwa Member of Parliament K.T. Hammond, former Director-General of GES Michael Nsowah, Appeal Court Justice Kweku Gyan, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Rt. Rev. Dr. Sam Prempeh and the late Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Teachnology Professor Kwesi Andam.
On its future plans, the Mission’s Education Unit, through Mr. Dimbie Issah, informs that, “A Strategic Plan is being designed through the SWAT analysis. The Unit would continue to contribute towards the rapid development of quality accessible and affordable education in Ghana by expanding the educational facilities and programmes. For example, the Unit plans to increase the number of senior high schools especially, and to establish a unique university in the nearest future. Resource Mobilisation-human and material-are also being specially catered for in the five-year Strategic Plan”.
May Allah continue to bless Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and gives it the strength for more wonderful contributions to the development of our nation’s education!
The writer is an educationist and Public Relations Officer of GES.
E-mail: amoatec27@yahoo.com
Anthony Kwaku Amoah, © 2016
Author has 32 publications published on ModernGhana.Column: AnthonyKwakuAmoah
Disclaimer: “The views expressed on this site are those of the contributors or columnists, and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana’s position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here.”
Comments
Zubair Khan | 6/5/2016 1:30:00 PM
Congratulations to Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana. This is real loyalty to nation. Keep on contributing positively to the development of great Ghana.
Categories: Africa, Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Ghana, Western Africa
When Ahmadiyya Muslim Representatives reached Africa they noticed that the Christian Missionaries had a full strangle hold on education, with the support of the colonial administration. One Ghanaian Alhaji Mohammad Hassan Josef Al Atta told me, when I asked him why he was named Josef and not Yusuf, that when he wanted to enter school the Christian Missionaries stated that only Christian children could enter the school. His father then said ‘his name is Josef’ and he was allowed to enter.
It is to be said that in all Ahmadiyya Schools there never was and there is not any ciscrimination, Muslims, Christians, believers in native religions, all could and can attend.
(Just by the way. When I met Alhaji MOhammad Hassan Josef Al Atta in 1964 he had 44 children. When I met him again years later I asked him how many children he now has and he answered ’44’. I was astonished and asked ‘how come’? He whispered to me ‘family planning’. better late than never I suppose).