KENYA: “Education is Our Mission”: AMECEA Secretary General Calls Church to Educational Frontlines”
Fr. Anthony Makunde
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
At the Second African Congress on Catholic Education, the Secretary General of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) affirmed that education is critical to enhance the evangelization mission in Africa.
“Education has always been a cornerstone of the evangelising mission of the Church in Africa since the early missionary era,” Fr. Antony Makunde shared with hundreds of participants from across Africa and other parts of the world on Thursday, December 4, in his opening remarks.
Fr. Makunde recalls the deep roots of this commitment to education, highlighting a directive received by the Bishops of Tanganyika (currently Tanzania) in 1925 from Rome: “That if a choice had to be made between building a school and building a church, priority should be given to building a school.”
This principle, he said, underscores the message that education is “a privileged expression of the teaching ministry of Jesus.”
The first African Congress of Catholic Education was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from December 7-10, 2023, and focused on the African Education Pact, which encouraged greater investment in education across the continent.
According to Fr. Makunde, the Church’s investment so far has resulted in a vast educational network, with statistics showing that the number of Catholic learning institutions from nursery through colleges and universities at various levels across Africa exceeds those owned by the state or private sector.
He further pointed out that all but one AMECEA member country currently has a Catholic university and offers diverse fields of study, including medical sciences, engineering, social sciences, business, and agriculture.
Speaking to the theme of the congress, “Catholic Education and the Promotion of Signs of Hope in the African Context,” Fr. Makunde stressed that the Catholic schools have been instrumental in forming generations and shaping leaders at local, national, and international levels.
He connected the growth of Catholic education to the “immense promise” of Africa, which is rich in resources, cultures, peoples, and landscapes.
While the congress calls on nearly 200 participants to reflect on how Catholic education can illuminate and strengthen hope, Fr. Makunde narrated that the steady increase in the number of Catholics across the continent reminds the Church of its mission to” root the Gospel deeply in the lives of the people.”
He further urged Catholic schools and universities that, amid rapidly evolving technological advancement, they need to “innovate boldly lest they fall behind.” He hopes that the Congress will serve as a vital forum for participants to “reflect, strategize, and move forward together” in the shared mission.
