Join our distinguished panel for a discussion on how missionary education contributes to Africa's development

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The theme of the virtual panel discussion is "Revisiting missionary education strategies to advance quality education and human flourishing in Africa"

Education remains key in human flourishing. In the case of Africa, the general understanding among the political elites is that it is through education that the continent can reverse some of the lingering effects of slavery and colonialism, as well as deal with contemporary challenges of underdevelopment.

In many parts of the continents, the political elites are investing resources – human and material – to train men and women who can contribute significantly to promoting the much-needed socio-economic development of the continent. In sum, human flourishing is largely based on quality education.

As the various leaders of Africa explore ways of lifting the quality of education on the continent, it has become crucial to reflect on the legacies that the colonised world inherited from the European missionaries of the nineteenth century. This is because, in many parts of the colonised world, the missionaries were instrumental in providing the "western" form of education. While it is not in doubt that the missionaries had evangelism as part of the reasons for establishing schools, they set the pace for the schools most countries in Africa and the colonised world inherited.

The panellists in this workshop will explore the need for reinvestment in mission strategies in the running of schools in Africa. This is highly important because quality education would churn out men and women who could contribute to solving the multiple challenges of Africa and the world. It would also make Africans competitive in all endeavours of life.

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Panellists:

Rev'd Dr Prof. Christopher Byaruhanga, Professor of Systematic and Historic Theology, Uganda Christian University

Dr Patricia Idoko, University of Notre Dame, USA

Prof Samuel Awuah-Nyamekye, Associate Professor of Religion and Environment, University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Rev'd Sister Antoinette Opara, Principal of Holy Child College, Lagos, Nigeria

Rev’d Ebenezer K Aidoo, Principal of Mfantsipim School, Ghana

Rev'd Professor Brendan P. Carmody SJ, formerly Professor of Religious Education, University of Zambia

Moderator:

Dr Charles Prempeh, University of Cambridge, UK