Their converts increased steadily in numbers until 1821 when a section broke away to form the first independent African, Christian church in West Africa, called the West Africa Methodist Church. The Methodists founded the Boys High School in 1874, and another high school for girls six years later. For several years they paid attention to slave trade rather than evangelization and Christianization of the people of West-Africa. Missionaries continued to be the main providers of education even after colonial powers established control during the so-called Scramble for Africa which occurred between 1884-1914. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. The activities of the early Christian missionaries negatively affected the development of African traditional political institutions. Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. 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. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. They need YOU. The study traces the his tory of colonial education and the tremendous contributions of missionaries in the establishment of formal education in the region. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. There were only bush paths, and no roads in the early times. In addition, the contributions of celebrity missionaries, such as Christian Schwartz, William Carey, Alexander Duff, and James . Besides education, they cared for the sick. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. In the same year as the Basel missionaries settled in Akuapem 1835 the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Church was established at Cape Coast by the Rev. In 1845 the C.M.S. He professed vows in 1953 in Conesus, N.Y., and was ordained to the priesthood in 1961 at Techny, Ill. Thank you for supporting this project. African Drama For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. About us | Ghana Education Service - GES Frank Ogodo Ogbeche Joseph Dunwell. This conditioning was focused on norms that missionaries deemed incompatible with a Christian way of life. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. Born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1933, Vincent Burke was the third of Walter and Eleanor (nee McGoff) Burkes four sons. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. Africa Christian Press, 1996. Mission schools provided a steady stream of educated Africans capable of filling the lower levels of the colonial administration and operated vocational and agricultural schools (Ayandele 1966: 295; Foster 1965: 90-91; Sheffield 1973: 10-11). Cultural deprivation is what many of us suffer from []. *You can also browse our support articles here >. And thats why I decided to look deeply into this issue. The Christian religion teaches the doctrine of one supreme God and is opposed to the worship of any other forms of deity. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language and translated the entire Bible and a Bible history into Ga. Then in 1874, the Rev. The missionaries condemned African religion, music, art, festivals and customary practices. missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. Indeed, once the souls had been saved and since the students must have been considered clever enough, European languages were almost universally the languages of instruction in the later primary years and in secondary schools (Beck 1966: 120; Foster 1965: 159; Miran 2002:127). Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. Ralph teaches English for Academic Purposes (EAP) online. 522 0 obj <>stream John G. Christaller (described as the Father of Twi Literature) produced a Twi grammar and dictionary, a collection of Twi proverbs, a Twi translation of the Bible as well as prayers and hymns. In my study, I explored how colonial era conflicts and disagreements over marriage norms lastingly affected educational development. For instance, on 2nd October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed followed by the interdenominational London Missionary Society which was established in 1795. History 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. 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. The Journal of Negro Education, 8 8 The Effect of Western Formal Education - Education in British colonies and former colonies She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. Mission schools were popular because of the new skills and opportunities they offered. We shall now turn our attention to the activities of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. (with Examples), Top 20 Topics in English for Academic Purposes, 7 Rules of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, 10 Importance of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, How to Get a Degree Without Going to High School, Joseph Rhodes Dunwell Methodist Missionary, 1835, Thomas Birch Freeman Methodist Missionary, 1838, Thomas Thompson Society for the Propagation of the Gospel/Anglican, 1752, Wesley Girls High School, Cape Coast Methodist missionaries, Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast Methodist, Adisadel College, Cape Coast Anglican Missionaries, Holy Child School, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, St Augustines College, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, Archbishop Potter Girls School, Takoradi, Aburi Girls Secondary School Presbyterian, St Monicas High School, Mampong Anglican. Specifically, it addresses the unique role of Christian missions in. The missionaries opened schools further inland, and by 1880, the Wesleyan Mission had eighty -three schools. 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. The three models of Secondary education in Ghana since colonial times are the Mfantsipim School founded by the Church (mission) in 1876, Achimota School in 1927 established by the British Colonial government One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. Moreover, mission education formed a poor foundation for future educational conditions in the former colonies. 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. Public money was spent only on the small number of government schools, totaling nineteen when Governor Guggisberg assumed office in 1919. In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . Educational Reforms in Ghana: Past and Present - ResearchGate The Christian missionaries of different missionary societies made a tremendous contribution to education in South Africa. The CMS began to work in the freed slave villages in Sierra Leone in 1804 and the Methodist in 1811. Missionaries continued to be the main providers of education even after colonial powers established control during the so-called Scramble for Africa which occurred between 1884-1914. The people received the message with indifference. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. As we help existing churches become healthy through theological education, discipleship, pastoral training, and leadership development, we desire to see church-planting efforts within the local church soon follow. Schools were deemed important. It offered the most direct path towards prestigious jobs in colonial administrations and European enterprises. The Committee for Women's Work was responsible for the education of native girls. From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. Isichei, Elizabeth. In 1876 the college became associated with Durham University in England, which awarded degrees to students of the college. The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. Many Ghanaian communities got divided along religious lines. In spite of the division, the parent Methodist missionary church played an important role in the history of Christianity in Sierra Leone. Waterville Pub. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into . 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. Some of the missionaries came with them (549 years ago) but many died from the cruel tropical weather of forested West Africa. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, Accra . And yet this was what earlier missionaries in pagan Europe had done when, for example, they had changed the Sabbath to suit the pagan Sun Day (hence Sunday), and had also adopted the dates of the pagan festivals to celebrate Christmas Day and the Easter festival.