Government is committed to teacher development – President
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed government’s commitment to enhance the teacher professional development status of the country.
This he said would be done through the Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL), which seeks to transform the delivery of pre-service teacher education and improve the quality of teacher education and learning through all colleges of education in the country.
He made the commitment in a speech read on his behalf at the 60th anniversary of the Adonten Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Region, on the theme “60 years of Hard work, Living the Dreams of the Founding Fathers.”
The theme reflects the vision, hard work and collective efforts of, Mr Moses Agyare-Kwabi, retired Circuit Court Judge and late Mr Djan Opare-Addo also a retired Circuit Court Judge.
The President explained that the New Patriotic Party’s “Teacher First” policy, recognised that a well-trained, confident and contented teacher was key in the delivery of quality education and vital to the national development.
“We want to ensure that there is a standard competency framework that will guide the training of teachers to the point where all teachers meet the expectations and aspirations of our pre tertiary school system,” he said.
He noted that the UK’s Department for International Development was supporting Ghana’s implementation of the T-TEL with 17 million Pounds Sterling from 2014-2018 and expressed hope about its implementation after 2018.
The President gave the assurance that government would put in interventions that would motivate and impact positively on teachers and students to work harder and give of their best.
Nana Akufo-Addo urged students to take advantage of the many opportunities available to them, work harder and be disciplined for brighter future.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr Stephen Aboagye explained that though the school continued to chalk out successes as the years went by, it continued to face infrastructural challenges, which demanded urgent attention.
“We need an 18-unit classroom block to facilitate decongestion, accommodation facility for both teaching and non-teaching staff as well as a school bus to facilitate movements in times of participating in external activities.”
He assured parents of the school’s continuous support in instilling discipline by clinging firm to the school’s rules and regulations, providing in-service training for all teaching staff to enhance knowledge and skills on the job.
“The school shall also fortify internal supervision and monitoring to ensure the reduction of absenteeism to the barest minimum,” he added.
Mr Aboagye appealed to stakeholders to assist the school achieve its aims of ensuring academic excellence through self-discipline.
Dr Lucy Asamoah Akuoko, Deputy Director of the National Blood Bank and an old student, called on teachers to equip the students with academic excellence, to build up a strong foundation in literacy, numeracy, science and humanities.
“We must holistically, develop their talents and equip them with skills and values that they will need for life, which will make them upright citizens and members of our society”.
The Eastern Regional Director of Education, Ms Gertrude Mensah, commended the school for setting standards that had impacted positively on the students.
“This school has seen steady development over the years and I hope the school community and stakeholders will continue to contribute their quota to ensure that it achieves greater laurels in the years ahead,” she said.
Nana Awo Adwoa Amene II, Queen mother of Aburi and Akuapim Adonten Traditional Area and the Board Chairperson of the School, called on the school authorities to use the occasion to rethink and strategise for a brighter future.
She advised the students to be creative and not to settle for mediocrity.
Otubuor Djan Kwasi II, Aburihene and Adontenhene of Akuapim Traditional Area, commended the school authorities for their selfless efforts in ensuring that the school attained greater heights academically in spite of the challenges they faced.
Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, the Member of Parliament for the area, commended the school for its great achievements over the past 60 years and called on the management and staff to focus on quality education, wellbeing as well as the personal development.
He pledged his support to help fulfil the dream of the school.
Students who excelled academically as well as hardworking teaching and non-teaching staff were honoured with prizes and citations whilst a burst of the two founding fathers was also unveiled in their memory.
Source: GNA