By Richard Kusi
New Edubiase (Ash), Sept. 20, GNA – Teachers have been urged to endeavor to be morally upright to be able to impact positively on the children they teach.
They should serve as role models and eschew negative acts and social vices that bring the teaching profession into disrepute.
Professor Charles Ackah, of the Institute for Statistical, Social and Economic Research at the University of Ghana, who made the call, said the falling standards of education in the country could partly be blamed on the bad and immoral attitude of some teachers.
Speaking at a seminar for teachers in the Adansi South District at New Edubiase, he said bad behaviours such as laziness, smoking, pilfering of school materials, drunkenness, and illicit sexual activities with school children, stealing among others, by some teachers, were eroding the image of the teaching profession and contributing to the falling standards in education.
The seminar was organized by the Living Seed Ghana, a local NGO, in collaboration with the District Local Council of Churches and the Adansi South District Education Directorate.
Professor Ackah pointed out that teachers who served as the eye of the community needed to be morally upright and exhibit behaviours that would encourage school children and other members of the community to emulate.
He said Ghana’s quality education delivery depended heavily on attitude and professional competence of teachers adding that, good moral was one of the fundamentals of good education.
The Very Reverend James Sarfo Adu, New Edubiase Circuit Minister of the Methodist Church, appealed to officials of district education offices to desist from collecting monies from teachers before rendering services to them.
Headteachers should also make good use of the capitation grant given to them to ensure that the schools always run effectively.
Mr Ebenezer Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Living Seed, asked teachers to make the future brighter for their pupils and students their prime target and work hard to help the children to attain their educational goals.
GNA