The Catholic Church’s reported demand for 20 per cent of student placements in Catholic schools across the country has brought renewed attention to a question that deserves more than a temporary administrative solution: Who should have the decisive authority over schools established and nurtured by the Church?
While the demand may be intended to preserve access for Catholic students and protect the religious identity of Catholic educational institutions, it also exposes a deeper problem. If the Church must negotiate with government for a limited percentage of placements in schools associated with its faith, perhaps the time has come for the Church to seriously consider taking back full ownership and management of its schools.
The proposal may be financially demanding, but the long-term benefits could outweigh the immediate difficulties. It would allow the Church to determine its admission policies, protect its religious identity, restore its preferred standards of discipline and ensure that the schools are managed in accordance with Catholic educational principles without the recurring tensions that can arise under a shared management arrangement.
The Catholic Church has a long and distinguished history of education in Ghana. Its schools have contributed significantly to the development of the country’s human capital, producing professionals, public servants, religious leaders and citizens who have served Ghana in various capacities. These institutions were not established merely as ordinary buildings for classroom instruction. They were founded as part of a broader educational mission, combining academic training with moral formation, discipline, service and the teachings of the Catholic faith.
That history raises a legitimate question: If the Church established these schools to advance its educational and religious mission, should it not have the freedom to manage them in a manner consistent with that mission?
The current arrangement, in which the government plays a significant role in the management and placement processes of many mission schools, has created a complicated situation. Government involvement has undoubtedly helped sustain access to education and support the operation of institutions that might otherwise face serious financial challenges. However, it can also create disagreements over admissions, religious practices, school governance and the extent to which a faith-based institution can preserve its identity.
The reported request for 20 per cent placement is therefore not simply about numbers. It reflects the Church’s concern about its ability to maintain a meaningful presence in schools that bear its name and were established around its educational philosophy. Yet asking for a limited share of placements in schools associated with the Church may ultimately leave the Church negotiating for space within institutions whose religious identity it helped establish. That is why this moment should be treated as an opportunity for a more fundamental conversation.
Rather than repeatedly asking government to reserve a percentage of placements for Catholic students, the Church could begin exploring a structured process of reclaiming full control of its schools. Such a process would require careful negotiations with the government, a comprehensive assessment of the schools involved and a realistic financial and administrative plan. It should not be approached as an emotional reaction to a current disagreement, but as a long-term institutional decision.
Admittedly, taking back the schools would be expensive. The Church would have to assume greater responsibility for teachers, infrastructure, maintenance, utilities, learning materials, staff welfare and other operational costs. It would also need to establish a sustainable funding model that would prevent the schools from becoming inaccessible to families who cannot afford high fees.
These are serious challenges, but they are not necessarily reasons to dismiss the idea. Institutions built around a clear mission often require substantial investment to preserve their identity and purpose. The Church could explore endowment funds, alumni contributions, diocesan support, scholarships, partnerships with Catholic organisations and other sustainable financing mechanisms to support such a transition.
The objective should not be to create schools exclusively for wealthy Catholic families. Rather, it should be to create institutions that remain faithful to Catholic educational values while ensuring that deserving students, including those from less privileged backgrounds, are not excluded.
Full control could also provide greater clarity on religious practice within Catholic schools. Faith-based schools have faced debates over how to accommodate students from different religious backgrounds while maintaining their institutional identity. These discussions can become contentious when questions arise about worship, religious instruction, dress, dietary practices or other expressions of faith.
A Catholic school that is fully owned and managed by the Church would be better positioned to establish clear policies rooted in its religious mission. Such policies would still need to respect Ghana’s laws and the rights of students, but the Church would have greater authority to determine how Catholic identity is expressed within the school environment.
This could also reduce the recurring expectation that every religious group must be accommodated in precisely the same manner within every faith-based institution. Religious tolerance is essential, but tolerance does not necessarily mean that every institution must lose the distinctive identity for which it was established. A Catholic school should be able to remain recognisably Catholic, just as schools established by other religious bodies should be able to preserve their respective identities within the law.
The issue of discipline is equally important. Catholic schools have historically been associated with academic seriousness, moral instruction, order and discipline. While no institution is perfect, many former students and parents continue to value the standards for which these schools are known. Full ownership could give the Church greater freedom to reinforce those standards through a coherent system of school governance, pastoral care and student formation.
However, reclaiming the schools should not be understood as a call to abandon inclusiveness or public accountability. A Catholic school can preserve its religious identity while admitting students from different backgrounds, provided its policies are clearly communicated and consistent with the law. The central issue is whether the Church should have the authority to determine the character and direction of institutions established under its mission.
The government, for its part, has a legitimate interest in ensuring access to quality education, protecting public resources and complying with national laws. Any transfer of ownership would therefore need to address the interests of the state, staff, students, parents and the wider public. It would require transparency, proper valuation where necessary and a transition framework that protects the continuity of education.
The Church must also be prepared to answer difficult questions. Can it finance the schools sustainably? Will it maintain the same academic standards? How will it recruit and retain qualified teachers? What admission criteria will it apply? How will it support students from poor households? And how will it ensure that religious identity does not become a justification for poor governance or exclusion? These questions should not frighten the Church away from the discussion. They should guide it.
The call for full control must therefore go beyond public statements and expressions of frustration. If the Catholic Church genuinely believes that its schools should be managed in accordance with its doctrine and educational traditions, then it must begin developing a practical roadmap for achieving that objective.
The first step should be an honest assessment of the schools concerned. The Church would need to determine which institutions it is prepared to reclaim, the condition of their infrastructure, the number of teachers and support staff involved, their current financial obligations and the resources required to operate them effectively. A clear distinction would also have to be made between schools that are fully owned by the Church and those established through partnerships or public investment, where ownership arrangements may require more complex negotiations.
The second step should be dialogue with government. Taking back the schools should not be presented as an act of hostility towards the state. Government has played an important role in expanding access to education and supporting mission schools over the years. The objective should instead be to establish a new arrangement that respects the Church’s founding mission while protecting the public interest.
A phased transition may be more realistic than an immediate withdrawal from the existing system. The Church could begin with selected schools where it has the strongest institutional capacity, develop a sustainable management model and gradually extend the arrangement to other institutions. This would allow it to identify challenges early and avoid making commitments that it cannot fulfil.
The Church must also be prepared to invest in the people who make education possible. Buildings and institutional names alone do not produce quality education. Teachers, headteachers, chaplains, counsellors, administrators and support staff are essential to the success of any school. If the Church assumes full responsibility, it must ensure that these personnel are adequately supported, professionally developed and treated fairly.
There is also a need for a clear admission policy. If Catholic schools are to be managed independently, the Church should publicly explain whether its intention is to reserve a proportion of places for Catholic students, prioritise Catholic applicants or admit students from all religious backgrounds under conditions consistent with Catholic education. Whatever policy is adopted, it should be transparent, lawful and communicated well in advance to parents and prospective students.
The Church should not allow the debate to become a contest between religious communities. Ghana’s religious diversity is a national strength, and Catholic educational institutions can continue to contribute to that diversity without surrendering their identity. The important principle is that religious institutions should have a reasonable degree of authority over institutions they establish, provided they operate within the Constitution and other applicable laws.
At the same time, the Church must recognise that public education is not only about institutional ownership. Many mission schools have benefited from public funding, teachers and other state support. Any decision to reclaim them must therefore account for the public investment involved and ensure that the transition does not undermine access to quality education.
This is why the proposal requires statesmanship, financial discipline and institutional planning. The Church cannot demand autonomy while ignoring the responsibilities that autonomy brings. Full control would mean full accountability—not only to the hierarchy of the Church, but also to parents, students, teachers, alumni and the communities that depend on these schools.
Government, too, should be open to a constructive conversation. If a mission institution is willing and able to assume the financial and administrative responsibilities of running its schools, there should be room to explore an arrangement that respects both public educational objectives and the institution’s religious identity. The state should not be expected to surrender its responsibilities, but neither should mission institutions be permanently denied the opportunity to determine the future of schools they established.
Ultimately, the debate over Catholic school placements should lead to a broader national discussion about mission schools in Ghana. The country has schools established by Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Muslim and other religious organisations. Each has a history, a mission and a distinctive contribution to education. A sustainable policy should recognise these differences while ensuring that every child’s right to education is protected.
For the Catholic Church, the present moment offers an opportunity to consider whether continuing to negotiate for a limited share of placements is the best long-term solution, or whether it should begin the difficult work of reclaiming greater control over its educational institutions. The latter would require resources, sacrifice and careful planning, but it could provide a clearer foundation for preserving the Church’s educational mission.
The Church should therefore consider establishing a committee of education experts, canon lawyers, financial professionals, school administrators and representatives of the dioceses to examine the feasibility of taking back its schools. Such a committee could produce a comprehensive report on ownership, funding, governance, admissions, staffing and the legal framework required for a transition.
The issue should not be reduced to whether Catholic students deserve 20 per cent of placements. The deeper question is whether an institution that established schools to advance a religious and educational mission should have the capacity to preserve that mission through its own management.
If the Church believes the answer is yes, then perhaps it should be prepared to do more than ask for a percentage. It should be prepared to take responsibility for the whole institution.
This may be an expensive undertaking, but the question is not merely how much it would cost. The more fundamental question is whether the Catholic Church is prepared to invest in the independence, identity and long-term sustainability of the educational mission that its schools were created to serve.
This may be the moment for the Church to move from asking for a place at the table to considering whether it should once again take full responsibility for the table it helped build.
The Trial News
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