BROAD AIM

Quality Catholic Education offered in all educational institutions as a means of building up the Church and Society and as a basic right of all people. (Archdiocesan Revised Pastoral Plan 2017-2022).

A) THEFUNCTIONS OFEDUCATION

COMMISSION AT THE PARISH LEVEL

The Education Commission shall encourage and oversee the development of all aspects of education in the parish, particularly the formal aspects as in the case of nursery and primary school education. It also includes the non-formal aspect i.e adult literacy training, skills acquisition and empowerment training schemes and remedial courses and programs for the youth.

The chairperson and secretary shall render progress reports to the Parish Pastoral Council at meetings. They shall also represent the Parish Pastoral Council at the deanery level of the Commission where reports are given, discussed, and then taken back to the parish for implementation.

B) FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION AT THE DEANERY LEVEL

At this level, the Commission comprises the chairpersons and secretaries of the Commissions from the Parishes within the deanery. A chairperson and secretary shall be elected from the membership. During meetings at this level, each parish team shall present progress reports of their parishes. Common challenges are identified and solutions proffered. Fresh ideas and new knowledge on developments in the field are shared and taken back to parishes for implementation. These new ideas and other information may emanate either from the Archdiocesan Commission or from among the parishes in the deanery. Similarly, common challenges are identified and forwarded to the Archdiocesan Commission for relevant intervention as the need arises. Programs and relevant activities are to be planned for the benefit of all concerned within the deanery.

The Chairperson and Secretary of the Commission at this level shall represent the deanery at the Archdiocesan Commission on a regular basis.

C) THE FUNCTIONS OF THE ARCHDIOCESAN COMMISSION

The Archdiocesan Education Commission is the executive body Tendering professional advisory services on education to the Proprietor. It has an elected chairperson with the Education Secretary as the Commission Secretary and representative of the

Archbishop as provided for in “The Catholic Church Policy on Education in Nigeria” document 6.5(ii)). The Commission shall receive and analyze progress reports from deaneries, Quality Assurance Monitoring teams and on issues emanating from the office of the Proprietor through Education Secretary. The Archdiocesan Commission shall propose policies on matters that impact positively on education in the Archdiocese for careful consideration by the Proprietor. The Chairperson of the Archdiocesan Commission shall render a progress report to Archdiocesan Pastoral Executive Council.(APEC). The Education Secretary renders progress reports to Council of Priests.

 

The Archdiocesan Commission comprises the following;

  1. The Chairperson
  2. The Education Secretary
  3. The Chairpersons and Secretaries of the two Quality Assurance Teams.
  4. The Chairpersons and Secretaries of the Deanery Education Commissions.
  5. Any persons that the Proprietor deems fit to appoint to the Archdiocesan Education Commission.

As provided for in The Catholic Church Policy on Education in Nigeria, the membership of the Education Commission includes competent and committed Catholic educationists with respected experience as well as other stakeholders with interest in quality Catholic Education

D) THE RUNCTIONS1 OF THE ARCHDIOCESAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION SECRETARY

The functions of the Education Secretary are explicitly outlined in section 6 of The Catholic Church Policy on Education in Nigeria. ” This section addresses the management and supervision of Catholic schools” from pages 35 to 41 of the document. The Education Secretary acts in consonance with and on behalf of the Proprietor in coordinating Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese. Illustrating the flow of ommunication and effective management, an organogram is attached to this document.

 

MANAGEMENTAND SUPERVISION OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

  • The Management of Catholic Schools

The Proprietor of Catholic Schools is the local ordinary of the Archdiocese except where the school is established by the religious congregation.

“The Diocesan Bishop has the right to watch over and inspect theCatholic schools situated in his territory, even those established or directed by members of religious institutes” (Can. 806.1).

 

  • Duties of the Catholic Education Secretary

Concerning Catholic Schools

A description of duties as stated below strictly Catholic education institutions belonging to the will apply primarily to the Archdiocese or Archdiocesan bodies and in varying degrees to  the other Catholic educational institutions.

One of the major duties of the Secretary is to coordinate matters involving Catholic schools In doing this, he / she will be expected to:

  1. Act as link between the Archbishop and all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.
  2. Supervise the schools to ensure proper implementation of Archdiocesan educational policies.
  • Ensure the maintenance of standards of teaching and learning in the schools.
  1. Collect, collate, evaluate, and preserve necessary statistical data.
  2. Ensure proper welfare for all levels of staff.
  3. Make provision for maintenance of standard and just conditions of service for all staff.
  • Hold regular meetings with the heads of all the schools
  • Encourage the building of new schools.
  1. Pilot the effort for the return of the schools taken over by the government.
  2. Ensure that Catholic Religious Instruction is conducted for all Catholic students in all the schools within the Archdiocese and final year certificates are issued to successful candidates.
  3. Organize meeting with and workshops for teachers when necessary with a view to improving their professional competence.
  • Initiates the establishment of Quality Assurance Management Teams.
  • THE FUNCTIONS OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGEMENT TEAMS

These Management Teams are set up by the Archdiocesan Education office to undertake regular monitoring and evaluation of all nursery, primary, secondary and technical schools in the Archdiocese. The Quality Assurance management comprises two teams with one to monitor nursery and primary schools and the other to monitor secondary and technical schools within the Archdiocese. The monitoring team for nursery and primary schools comprises six members with specific area of specialization to monitor nursery education, junior primary education (primary 1-3), senior primary education (primary 4-6)and religious and moral education. Two of the members shall bethe leader and secretary of the team for these levels of schools. Similarly, the monitoring team for all Secondary and Technical Comprises seven members with various areas of specialization to cover science subjects arts and social science

 

subjects, languages, technical and vocational subjects as well as Christian Religious Knowledge and moral education. The team will have a leader and a secretary.

The leaders and secretaries of the two Quality Assurance Management Teams are members of the Archdiocesan Education Commission. At the Commission meetings, they will give progress reports on the outcomes of monitoring done for consideration and further action by relevant bodies.

 

  • Policy Implementation
  1. The Education Secretary is to ensure that both the government and the Archdiocesan requirements are maintained in all schools and that new schools satisfy these requirements before they are approved.
  2. He/she is to organize periodic inspection of schools to ensure maintenance of equipment and facilities. He/she is also to ensure the implementation of the Catholic Policy on Education (Can. 806).
  • He/she is to show concern with the formulation and content of the curricular to be used in all schools and to initiate action to correct any errors observed in the curricula.
  1. He/she is to ensure that the curricula are implemented inall the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese.
  2. The academic staff
  1. The principal and the heads of schools are responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Catholic Policy in schools.
  2. The Education Secretary ensures that those into the above offices are well qualified and morally upright Catholics. Competent teachers with good morals are to be appointed. Proselytization in Catholic Schools is not allowed.
  3. He/she recommends to the State Government, where applicable, the teachers to be posted to Catholic schools. He/she ensures proper welfare and just conditions of service for all staff.
  1. Non-academic staff
  1. The school management makes sure that dedicated andmorally upright people are employed as non-academic staff. The Education Secretary formalizes this appointment.
  2. He/she ensures due recognition of the services they render to the schools.
  3. He/she ensures proper welfare and just conditions of service for all non-academic staff.
  1. Relationship with non-Catholic schools
  1. The Education Secretary sees to the establishment of A good rapport with the heads and staff of schools other than catholic schools to ensure that Catholic teachers are available to give Catholic Religious Instruction to the Catholic students in such schools.

viii. Relationship with Government

 

  1. The Education Secretary is the link between the Archbishop and the Government in educational matters.
  2. He/she promotes regular cordial relations with the government departments responsible for education
  1. Catholic Teachers Association
  1. The Education Secretary ensures the formation of a vibrant Catholic Teachers’ Association at school, parish and Archdiocesan level.
  2. He/she maintains an up-to-date list of all Catholic teachers, irrespective of the schools in which they are teaching.
  3. He/she encourages ongoing education of deserving teachers and promotes them in their quest for higher education.
  • Link with other bodies
  1. He/she maintains a link with the Parish and Deanery Education Commissions and monitors their activities’.
  2. He/she gives encouragement to the PTA, SBMCs (School Based Management Committees) and Boards of Governors of various schools and makes sure they carry out their duties effectively.
  3. He/she maintains a link with the other dioceses, especially those within the same state and ensures common approach to government and its agencies.
  4. He/ she maintain contact with the Secretary of the Education Unit of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria and supplies all necessary information and statistics.
  5. The Education Secretary ensures that the Archbishop appoints Chaplains to Catholic schools.
  6. He/she holds annual meetings with chaplains to schools’.
  7. He/she liaises with catechetical schools as well as with the Centre for Research and Religious studies in the Cathedral.