Adeboye, Ezekwesili seek stronger values in Christian schools

File: Pastor Enoch Adeboye

Wife of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Folu Adeboye and a former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, have called for stronger emphasis on moral values and character development in Christian schools.

They urged parents, teachers and church leaders to work together to raise responsible children equipped to contribute meaningfully to society.

The duo made the call at a Kingdom Education Summit organised by Christ the Redeemer’s School Management, with the theme, ‘Revisiting Kingdom Education: The Role of Stakeholders’, held at the Redemption City of God, Mowe, Ogun State.

Adeboye urged parents, teachers and the church to collaborate in raising children with strong Christian values.

She said the responsibility of nurturing responsible children should not be left to schools alone, stressing that parents must support teachers in instilling discipline and the fear of God in pupils.

She cautioned parents against undermining teachers’ authority, particularly during school holidays, when children return home.

“Those who are stakeholders in Christian education, starting from the home, the parents, should cooperate with the teachers. While the children go home on holidays, they should not overpamper them,” she said.

She expressed concern that some children looked down on their teachers because of their parents’ social and financial status, warning that such attitudes could undermine discipline and respect for authority.

“Every child must fear God because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Many of these children, they look down on the teachers and say, ‘Who are you? Are you up to the standard of my parents?’” she stated.

She also faulted parents who were reluctant to correct their children, urging families, churches and other stakeholders to take collective responsibility for their upbringing.

“Many parents are not there. Some of them are afraid to correct their children. I don’t know why. So if only every one of us can come together, that will help. Raising our children is very important,” Adeboye added.

She further emphasised the need to teach children to meditate on the word of God, noting that biblical principles remained essential to developing wisdom and responsible conduct.

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Adeboye also called for improved learning facilities in rural communities, recalling how she encountered pupils sitting on classroom floors during evangelism outreaches.

“There are some schools in the villages around us. When we go on evangelising, many of them are sitting on the floor. You won’t believe it,” she said.

She noted that efforts had sometimes been made to provide furniture for such schools, urging stakeholders to pay greater attention to children in underserved communities.

In her keynote address, Ezekwesili urged church-owned schools to prioritise character development, competence and civic responsibility alongside academic excellence.

She said Christian education should produce individuals capable of contributing meaningfully to national development through sound values, knowledge and practical abilities.

Ezekwesili described the purpose of kingdom education as developing “human capability anchored in moral purpose,” adding that academic knowledge without character could be detrimental to society.

“Competence and capability without character will mainly produce sophisticated corruption,” she said.

She identified character, competence, capacity and citizenship as four essential qualities that Christian schools must instil in their students to prepare them for leadership and nation-building.

Also speaking, Emeritus Professor Michael Omolewa urged Christian schools to embrace technology and artificial intelligence while developing sustainable funding strategies to improve educational standards.

He said the summit provided an opportunity for stakeholders to assess the development of Christian education, identify existing challenges and determine practical ways to address them.

Omolewa noted that the gathering was different from previous summits because it produced an action plan with interventions to be monitored and evaluated at subsequent meetings.