INTRODUCTION

The Wesleyan Mission, under the leadership of the early missionaries of the church established more schools in Ghana (the then Gold Coast) than all others in the field of education. The missionaries established the first school in September 1836. The Methodist Church Ghana, over the years, has held the view that the development of the nation and the church is based on a combination of variables instrumentally driven by human resource factors. The Methodist Church Ghana therefore continues to pay considerable attention to the development and provision of quality educational institutions. The direct result of this effort is that Methodist educational institutions are among the best at all levels of education delivery in Ghana .

BASIC LEVEL

There are 2,305 Methodist schools in the public system, made up of 744 Kindergarten (K.G), 1,042 Primary, and 519 Junior Secondary Schools.

These schools have a total student population of 340,683 (178,476 boys and 162,207 girls). Total enrolment in Kindergaten is 68,159 whilst the figures for Primary and J.S.S. are 211,311 and 61,213 respectively.

There are 48 private Basic Schools run entirely by the Church. Enrolment is over 8,200.

The Methodist Church has a total of 21 second cycle institutions in the public sector including Mfantsipim School (the alma mater of Kofi Annan, the immediate past Secretary General of the UN), Wesley Girls High School - Cape Coast, Prempeh College (in partnership with the Presbyterian Church) and Wa School for the Blind. The current total enrolment of students in our Second Cycle Schools stands at 20,402 (11,468 boys and 8,934 girls).

The three Teacher Training Colleges are Wesley College , Komenda College and Offinso Training College . Total enrolment in these colleges is 3,427 (2,217 men and 1,210 women).

The Methodist Church has 22 private Post-Basic Institutions. Total student enrolment is 1,633 (1,343 girls and 290 boys.)

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

Accra Wesley Girl’s High School

This school opened for academic work in October 2003. The School is in its 5th year and still lacks basic facilities such as a Library, Science Laboratory and a School Vehicle. Current enrolment is 170.

Kingsby Methodist Girls’ Secondary School, Effiduase-Koforidua

The school started in January 2004 with eight girls. A three-storey classroom block donated by Dr. Kingsley Adu Baffour is completed and is in use. The school offers 4 programmes - Science, Business, General Arts and Vocational. The needs of the school include;

• Kitchen and dining hall,
• Boarding House and administration Block
• Home economics equiopment and tools
• A school bus

, Current enrolment is 155.

The plan of the church was to start this school in September 2005 but it could not. However the school was opened in December 2006. It offers 2 programmes - General Arts and Business. Because the school is the only second cycle school in that district of the Northern Region of Ghana, the District Assembly quickly adopted the school when it was founded and proposed it be made a mixed school to cater for all within the district. In view of this they went ahead to provide temporary classrooms for the school. Two United Methodist churches in Virginia U.S.A. also donated $30,000 towards the establishment of this school and the gift was recieved by the church in Ghana through Rev. William Davis, the Director of Christian Education of the Methodist Church Ghana. The current enrolment of the school is 57.

The Methodist Church Ghana resolved in 1998 to establish an accredited multicampus University. The resolution was primarily in response to the Central government’s invitation to philanthropists and non-governmental organisations to assist in expanding access to tertiary education. The resolution was in keeping with the Spirit of the Great commission of the Lord (Matthew 28:19-20).

The response of our members, both at home and abroad, for the establishment of the University has been very encouraging. They have continued to support the development of the University with their prayers, time, talents and treasure. The Methodist University College received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board in August, 2000 and subsequently became affiliated to the University of Ghana . Lectures and related activities began in early November 2000 at Wesley Grammar School Campus. Other faculties would be established in all the regions in Ghana in future.

Programmes that were offered initially are:-

• Business Administration with Specializations in Accounting, Human Resource Management, Banking and Finance, and Marketing
• Social Studies comprising Economics (Statistics and Mathematics).

Additional Programmes that have been introduced during the 2004/2005 academic year were;

• Single Programmes

B.A. Psychology

B.Sc. Information Technology

• Combined Programmes
  • Faculty of Business Administration

  B.A Finance/Economics

  B.A Accounting/Economics

  B.A Management/Economics

  • Faculty of Social Studies

  B.A Economics/Mathematics

  B.A Economics/Management

  B.A Mathematics-Statistics/Management

Post Graduate Programme

• M.A. Guidance & Counselling

• MUCG Music Centre

  The Methodist Church is renowned for good music, and Ghanaians are lovers of music of all kinds. There are many types and forms of African Traditional and religious music e.g. Abibindwom, a peculiar type of lyric developed in the Methodist Church Ghana which needs to receive in-depth study and further development. The University has made the move to capture these opportunities and use them as avenues of service to the wider society.

A music Centre of excellence was inaugurated on September 30, 2005. The centre's activities cover teaching, research and perfomance. The centre is equipped with a music library, which holds about four hundred books and two hundred cassettes, eighteen computers and four audio cassette recorders.

In its first year , sixty students took a course in music appreciation. Twenty students registered for lectures in piano.

Also in the first year of operation about two hundred people, largely choirmasters and musicians who wanted to upgrade themselves also visited the centre or called to make enquiries about the programmes at the centre.

One major objective of the centre is in the area of research and to revive "ebibindwom" which is on the decline. In that direction, the centre has been doing "ebibindwom" transcriptions and recordings.

The Centre currently runs Certificate and Diploma programmes in music.

A: Faculty of Agric- (Wenchi Campus)

• Diploma in General Agric
• Diploma in Horticulture
• B.Sc in General Agric

B. Faculty of Arts and General Studies

• BA in English Studies
• BA in Religious Studies and Ethics
• BA in French
• BA in Music

C: Faculty of Business Administration

• MBA Accounting
• MBA Finance
• MBA Human Resource Management
• MBA Marketing

D: Faculty of Social Studies

• BSc Mathematics and Statistics
• M.Phil Mathematics
• M.Phil Guidance and counseling
• M.Phil Statistics

ENROLMENT

Current total enrolment is 2,848 made up of 1,555 males and 1,293 females. The University has already turned out three batches of graduands with excellent examination results.

STAFFING

Methodist University College Ghana (MUCG) is fortunate to have a number of experienced and seasoned academic and administrative staff to run the University.

The current Principal of MUCG is Very Rev. Prof. S.K. Agyepong, who is the immediate Past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast. He took over from Prof. N. K. Pecku, the first Principal of the University College .

Problems of the Educational Institutions

Considering infrastructure, only about 15% of the 2,305 schools at the basic level are in good condition structurally. About 35% require improvement (renovation) whilst the remaining 50% are in a very bad state (Most structures need to be replaced).

The second cycle schools (the Secondary Schools and Training Colleges ) require substantial financial and logistical support for general improvement and expansion of facilities. Accra Wesley Girls’ High School and Buipe Methodist Secondary Schools (which are new) require assistance towards the ongoing constructional works (Project Proposals on these schools are available). They also require books for their library.

Only one out of the originally planned four wings of the Faculty Building of the Methodist University College has been completed. This is the north wing which houses lecture rooms, the Computer/Information Technology Centre. The construction of the south wing of the faculty block has started with the completion of only the ground floor. The absence of the above mentioned facilities will therefore affect the increased intake of students in the very near academic years. The University has not yet built an Auditorium, and for increased student intake more lecture rooms are needed.

Assistance from Government Agencies, NGO's, International Development Agencies and Church Charity Institutions will be welcomed to meet any of the above mentioned challenges facing the Church in this important area of service to society.