Catholic Church explains clamour for return of schools to missionaries

The Catholic Church insists that it is a better educationist.

The Catholic Church on Thursday said its clamour for the return of mission schools to its original owners is to ensure proper moral training for the students, and to raise the standard of education in the country.

A Catholic Reverend and the Director of Media and Communications of the Catholic Secretariat, Archdiocese of Abuja, Ralph Madu, said this in an interview in Umuahia.

Mr. Madu stated this at the end of the ‘2012 second Plenary Meeting of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

He said that “if such schools are returned, the standard of Nigerian graduates will further improve.”

The clergyman noted that pervasive acts of immorality in the society, such as cultism, drug addiction, indiscipline, corruption, prostitution, and violent crimes, were connected to a faulty educational foundation.

He said though churches in Nigeria were asking for the return of schools taken over during the military regime, most churches had re-established nursery, primary and secondary schools.

“The Bishops Conference of Nigeria had established Veritas University, now being rated among the best universities in the world.

“Veritas is not just good in the area of academics, but in inculcating morals and ethical values that should characterize a good society,” he said.

The catholic reverend said it is important to impart sound moral values in the youth so as to ameliorate the numerous socio-economic and political problems of the society.

“The Catholic Church is not new in education,” Mr. Madu said.

The clergyman stressed the need for states that had returned mission schools to their original owners to provide them with grant.

He appealed to state governments that were yet to return the schools to their owners to do so in the interest of educational development in the country.