Smart schools won’t displace church role in basic education, says Mbah

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has allayed concerns among Church leaders that the Smart Green Schools initiative could diminish the Church’s role in the state’s basic education system, assuring them that his administration considers the Church an indispensable partner in educational development.

Mbah acknowledged the historic contributions of the Church to education in Enugu State, the defunct Eastern Region and Nigeria, stressing that no responsible government could afford to disregard its legacy and continuing role in shaping the educational system.

The governor gave the assurance in his keynote address at the 38th Convention of the Canon Law Society of Nigeria (CLSN), held alongside the celebration of the 95th birthday of the society’s founder and former Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Most Rev. Anthony Gbuji, at the Ghost Cathedral, Enugu, on Wednesday.

In the address entitled, “Role of the Church in Shaping Education and Development in Enugu State,” Mbah said concerns had been raised about whether the scale of government’s investment in public schools would leave Church-owned institutions behind.

“I understand that concern. These are institutions that have educated generations of our people. Their leaders have every reason to care about their place in Enugu’s educational future. So, I want to answer them directly.

“The Church is essential to the educational transformation we are undertaking.

“It would be deeply counterproductive for government to invest in a new system of learning while allowing Church educators and institutions to become disconnected from it.

“We need you in our basic education system. We need your teachers, your experience and your continuing commitment to the development of our children,” he said.

The governor, however, urged Church educators to embrace emerging methods of teaching and learning while preserving the values and traditions that had distinguished their contribution to education.

He emphasised that government and the Church must continue to work together as partners in progress and nation-building, noting that the transition to new learning methods would require adjustments in established practices.

“The Church, in turn, has an opportunity to embrace new educational methods while preserving the values and traditions that have distinguished its contribution.

“We will have to work through practical questions about training, standards, resources and implementation. Some established practices will need to change,” he said.

Mbah said his administration was committed to translating the partnership into practical measures, including extending professional development opportunities to Church educators.

He disclosed that Catholic priests were already being incorporated into the training process, adding that teachers in Church-owned schools should benefit from the capacity-building opportunities being created under the new education initiative.

“Our intention is that Church educators should have access to the professional development opportunities being created for teachers in government schools.

“As we introduce experiential learning, we want educators across both systems to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to participate. That is an obligation I believe the government should take seriously,” he stated.

Reflecting on the historical contribution of the Church, Mbah said Catholic missionaries had played a pivotal role in expanding access to education, training teachers and creating opportunities for families long before the emergence of the present educational system.

He noted that mission schools across the former Eastern Region became centres of learning and intellectual ambition, helping to shape generations of educated Nigerians.

“The Catholic Church has earned a distinguished place in the educational history of Enugu and Nigeria.

“Long before our present educational system took shape, missionaries were establishing schools, training teachers and opening opportunities for families who understood that education could change the course of their children’s lives.

“Across the former Eastern Region, mission schools became centres of learning and intellectual ambition.

“So, we owe a considerable debt to that inheritance,” he added.

The governor further noted that the Church’s contribution extended beyond establishing schools and producing graduates, describing its role in nurturing moral values and a sense of responsibility to society as equally significant.

According to him, educational development must produce not only accomplished individuals but also responsible citizens who understand the importance of contributing to the common good.

“A nation can produce highly accomplished individuals and still fail to build a society in which people flourish together.

“The difference lies partly in what those individuals understand their accomplishments to be for. The Church helped establish an educational tradition that recognised this connection between personal development and responsibility to others. That is an inheritance worth carrying into the future,” he said.

Mbah thanked the Church for the Award of Excellence conferred on him, saying the recognition had further strengthened his administration’s resolve to make Enugu State a preferred destination for investment, business, tourism and living.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Canon Law Committee of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Auxiliary Bishop of Enugu, Most Rev Ernest Obodo, urged Catholic priests to uphold the provisions of Canon Law, particularly Canon 287, concerning partisan political activities.

Obodo, who is also the Apostolic Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, said priests must remain fathers to all and avoid conduct that could compromise the Church’s moral authority and credibility.

He noted that statements made from the pulpit could divide communities, while silence in the face of injustice could amount to a betrayal of the Gospel.

“Nothing destroys the credibility of the Church faster than a priest who becomes a political sycophant and whose candidate later fails or is found corrupt. The people would then say, ‘The Church is just like them,’” he said.

The high point of the event was the presentation of an Award of Excellence to Governor Mbah in recognition of his accomplishments in the governance of Enugu State.

The award was presented by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev Callistus Onaga.