Government apologises for excluding religious bodies from education forum, calls it an oversight

The government of Ghana has apologised to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) for what it describes an oversight that led to their exclusion from the National Education Forum.

The apology resulted in Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, attending the forum this morning.

Bishop Fianu revealed in an interview with journalists that the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu and the Chairman of the National Education Forum Planning Committee, Professor George K.T Oduro had both contacted the concerned parties to express regret for the exclusion.

“This morning the Minister called and Professor Oduro also called. They apologised for not inviting us. They said it’s an oversight,” Bishop Fianu explained.

He acknowledged the apology, saying, “We take it for that but we are glad we have been invited because we feel we have something to say about education. We are partners in education with the government and we do have many schools at all levels, so we feel we have a say on education.”

The exclusion of the GCBC and CCG from the forum sparked concern, as both institutions play a significant role in the provision of education in Ghana. In a joint press statement issued earlier, the GCBC and CCG expressed disappointment at being left out of the dialogue, emphasising their longstanding involvement in the education sector.

The GCBC and CCG in a joint statement stressed that the exclusion undermined the collaborative spirit vital for shaping education policy in Ghana, calling on the government to ensure that all relevant bodies, including religious groups, were included in future discussions.

President of the GCBC, Most Rev. Matthew Gyamfi, earlier confirmed to Catholic Trends that the aggrieved parties are in talks with the Minister of Education over the matter.