The Charismatic Bishops’ Conference has called on government to reintroduce the ‘O’ and ‘A’ level educational system which according to them, will restore the integrity of formal education in Ghana.
‘O’ and ‘A’ level education are better than what we currently have. Ghana has been subjected to an inferior form of education through the JHS and SHS for many years,” the Conference said in a communiqué. The Charismatic Bishops’ Conference, which was founded by Bishop Dag Heward Mills, and comprises seasoned Ghanaian clergy, further proposed in the communiqué four key initiatives it says are “The Lord’s prophetic words to Ghana…to do a new thing in the nation.”
Ghana currently has a Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS) system of education. Issued on Monday, March 13, 2017, the communiqué stated that “we call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because international universities require our SHS graduates to do a foundational course for a whole year before admitting them to the university proper. Years ago, graduates from secondary schools in Ghana did not have to do such foundational courses because they already had a good foundation.” “We call the JHS and SHS an inferior form of education because we have reason to doubt the current ability of the WAEC to conduct credible examinations. It is common knowledge that the examinations are flawed with serious leakages, such that many students today do not know how to study, unless they have seen leaked papers.” Ban importation of chicken The Conference further called on government to ban the importation of chicken to save the country’s poultry industry and create employment. It noted that, the sector has in the past few years regressed under government agreements that has made farmers poorer.
The Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference is Born!
According to the conference, some prominent poultry businesses in the country “have been wiped out before our eyes and made incapable of producing poultry for consumption in the country. It does not make sense to have poultry farms any longer because a locally grown chicken is sold for GHS 40, while the imported ones are sold for GHS15.” “The chickens that are imported, are loaded with growth hormones causing many medical problems. For instance, the young girls now start having their menstrual periods from as young as 9 years. No matter the reasons and excuses given by experts, economists and specialists of global trade, we feel that common sense and common logic should be applied to the problems which we are facing after 60 years. Ghana has run out of excuses for why it cannot feed itself and grow its own chicken,” it said. ‘On road infrastructure’ On road infrastructure, the conference in its instructive communique called for a shift from asphalt road construction to the use of concrete.
It suggested that government should move away from securing loans from foreign donors for road construction and made do with local materials and local people. It said government should not allow tolls collected along major highways to be deposited into central government funds, but be used entirely for maintaining and managing the roads. It also urged government to charge an equivalent of US$1 per car as road toll. ‘Security in Ghana’ The Charismatic Bishops’ Conference also bemoaned the increasing spate of armed robbery, among other crimes in the country. It asked the government deploy the Military to help address the challenge and make the country safe. “There is no region of Ghana that is safe from armed robbery. Students in universities cannot walk freely on campuses. Student hostels are routinely attacked on campuses. “What is the use of an army if people do not feel safe in their own country? Why are we maintaining such an institution with tax payers money if it is not benefiting the nation?
Let us be practical! It is not just the duty of the police. It is the duty of all Ghanaians including the Army, the Air Force and the Navy to ensure that Ghana is a safe place again.” “As other nations become unstable, all sorts of people will migrate to Ghana to find stability so we can never tell who is coming next. Be real! Be practical! If the government really cares about Ghana, it should deploy the Forces to make Ghana a safe place again,” the communique said. It said the suggestions were part of prophesies of what the country must do to be moved unto a path of development and prosperity. “It is time to govern and lead our nation in a new way! The old ways have been tried and tested for sixty years. It is clear that the old ways are not working,” it said.
The full communique is indeoth and revealing. Click here to download and read it