HARD WORKING TEACHERS HONOURED
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM April 14, 2010
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
A number of hard working teachers in the Upper East region teaching in various educational institutions including basic, junior and senior high schools and the two Colleges of education have been rewarded for their efforts in molding the future leaders of Ghana and imparting knowledge to them.
The regional best teacher awards event has not been held for the past three years due to non-availability of award prizes. Twelve categories of awards were presented with prizes ranging from 24 inch colour television sets to refrigerators and certificates. This year’s awards ceremony is themed “Teachers motivation for quality education”.
At a presentation ceremony in Bolgatanga, the Upper East regional minister Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo in a speech read for him by the Municipal chief executive, Mr. Epsonah Ayamga noted that the teacher has been recognised as the first actor in human resource development. For instance through the teacher, the needed skilled manpower such as doctors, engineers, lawyers and administrators have been produced.
The regional minister further noted that the National Democratic Congress government having realized the positive contributions of the teacher in nation building, instituted the best teacher awards scheme some years back which he observed has transformed over the years with enviable prize packages like cars and houses.
He said taking cognizance of some challenges facing teachers and the Ghana Education Service as a whole in the quest for quality education delivery, government has put in place some interventions as captured in the 2010 budget statement. These include a 100 Ghana Cedi annual subsidy for teachers stationed in rural areas and who are pursuing distance education while Mathematics and Science teachers will continue to enjoy three incremental credits on their respective ranks.
Also, government is vigorously pursuing the full integration of all the 38 Colleges of education to tertiary levels and as a first step, interim councils have been appointed to oversee the transition of these colleges meanwhile, the Ghana Education Trust Fund continues to support tertiary institutions to undertake research, build staff capacities and to complete projects already started in order to create an enabling environment for both teaching and learning to thrive to desirable levels.
Mr. Woyongo hinted that necessary infrastructure is being put up at various second cycle institutions to provide classroom accommodation for new intakes into all senior high schools. All things being equal, these facilities should be in place before October 2010.
According to Mr. Woyongo, indiscipline is inimical to academic excellence and the promotion of peace and development. He therefore asked teachers to first discipline themselves and then extend the same measure of discipline to their students.
The Acting Upper East regional director of education Mrs. Agnes Atagabe, in a welcome address held that only the teacher has the ability to identify the inert potentials of pupils and accordingly design strategies to help develop the best of those potentials. She noted that quality education cannot be achieved on a silver platter adding that the teacher delivers best if the needed motivation is given.
Mrs. Atagabe said it is regrettable that stakeholders such as parents, government and development partners often relegate the teacher to the background in the scheme of things yet the teacher is pivotal in the achievement of set educational goals and policies.
The Acting regional director appealed to municipal and district assemblies to look for more innovative ways to make the best teacher awards scheme viable, competitive and worthy. She urged directors of education to help in making the selection process more transparent so that indeed, only the best qualified and hard working teachers emerge as winners.
Mrs. Atagabe called on all education administrators, inspectors and supervisors to work together to address issues of teacher absenteeism which leads to insufficient contact hours as this negatively affects teaching and learning.
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
A number of hard working teachers in the Upper East region teaching in various educational institutions including basic, junior and senior high schools and the two Colleges of education have been rewarded for their efforts in molding the future leaders of Ghana and imparting knowledge to them.
The regional best teacher awards event has not been held for the past three years due to non-availability of award prizes. Twelve categories of awards were presented with prizes ranging from 24 inch colour television sets to refrigerators and certificates. This year’s awards ceremony is themed “Teachers motivation for quality education”.
At a presentation ceremony in Bolgatanga, the Upper East regional minister Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo in a speech read for him by the Municipal chief executive, Mr. Epsonah Ayamga noted that the teacher has been recognised as the first actor in human resource development. For instance through the teacher, the needed skilled manpower such as doctors, engineers, lawyers and administrators have been produced.
The regional minister further noted that the National Democratic Congress government having realized the positive contributions of the teacher in nation building, instituted the best teacher awards scheme some years back which he observed has transformed over the years with enviable prize packages like cars and houses.
He said taking cognizance of some challenges facing teachers and the Ghana Education Service as a whole in the quest for quality education delivery, government has put in place some interventions as captured in the 2010 budget statement. These include a 100 Ghana Cedi annual subsidy for teachers stationed in rural areas and who are pursuing distance education while Mathematics and Science teachers will continue to enjoy three incremental credits on their respective ranks.
Also, government is vigorously pursuing the full integration of all the 38 Colleges of education to tertiary levels and as a first step, interim councils have been appointed to oversee the transition of these colleges meanwhile, the Ghana Education Trust Fund continues to support tertiary institutions to undertake research, build staff capacities and to complete projects already started in order to create an enabling environment for both teaching and learning to thrive to desirable levels.
Mr. Woyongo hinted that necessary infrastructure is being put up at various second cycle institutions to provide classroom accommodation for new intakes into all senior high schools. All things being equal, these facilities should be in place before October 2010.
According to Mr. Woyongo, indiscipline is inimical to academic excellence and the promotion of peace and development. He therefore asked teachers to first discipline themselves and then extend the same measure of discipline to their students.
The Acting Upper East regional director of education Mrs. Agnes Atagabe, in a welcome address held that only the teacher has the ability to identify the inert potentials of pupils and accordingly design strategies to help develop the best of those potentials. She noted that quality education cannot be achieved on a silver platter adding that the teacher delivers best if the needed motivation is given.
Mrs. Atagabe said it is regrettable that stakeholders such as parents, government and development partners often relegate the teacher to the background in the scheme of things yet the teacher is pivotal in the achievement of set educational goals and policies.
The Acting regional director appealed to municipal and district assemblies to look for more innovative ways to make the best teacher awards scheme viable, competitive and worthy. She urged directors of education to help in making the selection process more transparent so that indeed, only the best qualified and hard working teachers emerge as winners.
Mrs. Atagabe called on all education administrators, inspectors and supervisors to work together to address issues of teacher absenteeism which leads to insufficient contact hours as this negatively affects teaching and learning.
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