By J. K Nabary, GNA
Awutu Bereku (C/R), May 7, GNA – Twenty teaching and non-teaching staff of public and private schools in Awutu-Senya District have been honoured for their dedication and hardwork towards the growth of education in the area.
Each of the awardees received 32-inch television set as their prize.
The ceremony dubbed “Teachers Prize Day,” was organised by the Awutu-Senya District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), under the theme: “Elevating the Status of Teachers for Quality Education.”
The awards, initiated by Madam Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, the Member of Parliament for Awutu-Senya West Constituency in partnership with Mr Kalala Eghan, the District Chief Executive, was to recognise outstanding teachers in both public and private schools.
They were evaluated based on classroom performance, innovation and community impact.
According to the planning committee, application for the award was open to both non-teaching and teaching staff in public and private schools with minimum of five years teaching experiences in the district but was later reduced to three years.
At the end, 20 teaching and non-teaching staff of the Service qualified for the award from the pre, primary, Junior High, and Senior High schools as well as the District Education Directorate.
Madam Tetteh-Agbotui, who is also the Deputy Minister for Works, Housing and Natural Resources, thanked the teachers in the district for their support for education.
She said: “During my first time as the MP, I wanted to institute the teachers awards but could not; however, God has now opened the way to celebrate outstanding teachers for 2025 for their efforts, resilience and support to education in the district.”
She said teachers were expected to periodically do self-introspection and assess their performance for them to remain academically productive, be patriotic and good citizens.
She assured the gathering that her office would continue to support education by providing the needed tools, infrastructure, materials among others to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning.
Mrs Tetteh-Agbotui congratulated the awardees for their dedication towards the improvement of education in the area, adding that it was both exemplary and commendable.
She called on all teachers to continue to work hard for them to be recognised and appreciated.
Mr Eghan, the DCE, stated that elevating the status of teachers for quality education, reminded society of a simple truth that society could not demand quality education when teachers struggled with low moral standards, poor resources and little recognition.
According to him, when he assumed office as the DCE, he noticed that performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), had dropped from 85 percent in 2023 to 79 percent in 2024.
A committee was therefore instituted and one of the recommendations was that teachers must be motivated, while periodic in-service training organised for them.
The MP for the area and the Assembly together organised such trainings for all teachers in the district and also initiated the Teachers’ Prize Day to motivate them to work to improve upon BECE performance in the district, Mr Eghan added.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah