The Ministry of Education says it will initiate the necessary legislative process to amend the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049), to provide appropriate representation for all recognised faith-based organisations on the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council.
The ministry said the GES Act, 1995 (Act 506) had provided for three representatives of faith-based organisations, but Act 1049 reduced that to only one representative.
"The Ministry, in constituting the GES Council in 2025, noticed this anomaly of inadequate representation of the faith-based organisations and decided to hold on to it until the Act 1049 is amended to adequately cater for faith-based institutions," a statement signed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, said, adding that the ministry had been engaging stakeholders on the matter in line with government's decentralisation policy on education.
The statement said the ministry had taken note of concerns raised by the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC) regarding its exclusion from the GES Council, and acknowledged the important role played by faith-based educational institutions and their longstanding contribution to the development of education in Ghana. It said the concerns raised by the GCBC were receiving due consideration.
The ministry said it remained committed to an inclusive, consultative and collaborative approach to education governance and would continue to engage relevant stakeholders in strengthening the education sector.
"The ministry appreciates the contribution of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference and other faith-based organisations to education in Ghana and requests that they join government in stemming the growing indiscipline in the education sector while we collectively work to review the legislation," the statement added.
