Female teacher wins 22nd National Best Teacher award
A 41 year-old Visual Arts female teacher, Mrs Rita Oppong was on Wednesday adjudged the National Best Teachers at the 22nd awards ceremony in Sunyani.
Mrs Oppong, with 18 years teaching experience at the Sowa Din 2 Memorial Junior High School at Adentan in the Greater Accra Region, was given a three- bedroom house valued at GH¢100,000.00, a lap top computer, a certificate and an undisclosed cash amount.
The first runner-up Mr Samuel Kofi Boateng ,42, with 16 years teaching experience at the Ghana Secondary Technical School in Takoradi, Western Region had a double-cabin Toyota pick-up and a laptop computer.
Mr Sulemana Salami Inusah, 52 with 27 years experience in the teaching profession and now a tutor at the Sacred Heart Senior High School at Nsoatre in the Sunyani West District of Brong-Ahafo Region, emerged the second runner up and took away saloon car and a laptop computer.
The event, on the theme: “Valuing Teachers, Improving their status,” to commemorate the occasion of annual World Teachers Day and the second edition of Best Schools Awards, 2016 aimed at reminding the society about the contributions of teachers and non-teaching staff towards national development and also to motivate them to work harder.
Seventy-two teachers and 33 basic and senior high schools were awarded on various categories with different prizes.
Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the Minister of Education said the quality of human capital of a nation depends on the quality of education and quality of teachers and non- teaching staff in the system.
She said government would continue to discharge its responsibilities to both the teaching and non-teaching staff, while the public would also continue to hold them accountable for “outcomes in education”.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang expressed the hope that the prizes would motivate the awardees to increase their output for the benefit of students for improved standard of education in the country.
Mr Eric Opoku, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister said education is the bedrock upon which development is achieved by any nation.
He said it is therefore appropriate to recognise values and reward the hard working teachers who train and produce the human resource requirement for the progress of the country.
Madam Philippa Larsen, National President of Ghana National Association of Teachers commended government for the establishment of the community day senior high schools, she however appealed for the inclusion of teachers residential accommodations in future construction of such facilities for effective teaching and learning.
Source: GNA