The USA Chapter of St. Augustine's Past Students Union (APSU) has issued a passionate call for the restoration and reinforcement of the Catholic Church’s historic role in the management of education in Ghana.

This was contained in a communiqué released at the close of the APSU USA Annual Congress, held from 23rd to 26th May 2025, in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Delegates from across the United States gathered to deliberate on matters affecting their alma mater, St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, and to lend their voices to broader national discussions on the future of Catholic education in Ghana.

The Congress unanimously reaffirmed its commitment to the enduring legacy of Catholic education and formally endorsed key recommendations from the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, as outlined in the communiqué from the Second National Catholic Education Forum, held in Koforidua on 14th March 2025.

Support for managerial and policy poles

The APSU USA Congress expressed strong support for two central provisions of the Bishops’ communiqué:

1. Restoration and strengthening of managerial roles
   The Congress fully endorsed the restoration of managerial roles at the general, regional, and local levels within Catholic education. This includes the authority to promote, appoint, post, and supervise teaching and non-teaching staff across Catholic schools.
2. Permanent Representation in Policy Advisory Bodies
   The Congress also backed the call for permanent representation of the Catholic Church on the Ministerial Advisory Board of Education and the Ghana Education Council. The Church, being the second-largest provider of education in Ghana, was described as a vital stakeholder whose continued presence in education policy circles is both deserved and necessary.

Moral and academic rationale

In articulating its position, the APSU USA highlighted several long-standing benefits of Catholic involvement in education. These include:

• Discipline: Catholic schools are reputed for instilling discipline through structured environments rooted in moral values.
• Mentoring: The presence of religious leaders and committed educators nurtures purposeful leadership and character development among students.
• Moral and Religious Education: Religious personnel contribute not only to teaching but also to spiritual growth, counselling, and values formation.
• Alumni Engagement: Church involvement enhances alumni mobilisation for infrastructure and programme development. The Global APSU community, for instance, has raised over $3 million in the past five years in support of projects at St. Augustine’s College.

A call to government

The communiqué concludes with a clear appeal to the Government of Ghana to act swiftly and decisively in restoring the Church’s role in school management. The statement cautioned that continued delay in doing so could impede the delivery of holistic education and national development.

“Missionary-led schools remain vital to nurturing disciplined, morally upright, and well-mentored students across Ghana,” the statement read. “Their unique connection to active alumni networks forms a backbone for sustained development.”