Cape Coast, Oct. 7, GNA – Mr Eric Asomani Asante, a the 39-year-old teacher who won the coveted Best Teacher Prize for 2020, has underscored the need for teachers to show greater commitment and love for their profession as they worked to impart knowledge to the pupils.
He said it was his resolve to work with dedication, selflessness, commitment and support his community regardless of all the challenges and that had enabled him to win the Best Teacher Prize.
“I urge all teachers to eschew laziness and absenteeism, have patience and show interest in every child entrusted in their care by creating child-friendly atmosphere in the classroom to help boost the morale of children to retain them in school at all times,” he said.
Mr Asante, a teacher at Naylor Seventh Day Adventist School at Tema Community-six in the Greater Accra Region, was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after winning the coveted Prize at the National Teachers’ Day celebration at the University of Cape Coast.
“Many schools do not have the full complement of their learning materials to boost academic work, but it behoves on teachers in such schools to improvise to prevent academic work from being interrupted,” he said.
Mr Asante advised school authorities to ensure discipline in their schools and disengage from the practice where unconventional means were used to ensure pupils and students excelled in examinations as that was partly to blame for the moral decadence in the society.
He called on the teachers to strive to make a positive impact on the children by forming formidable partnerships with parents to ensure the children were equipped academically, morally, spiritually and socially.
With over 12 years of experience in the teaching profession, he admitted that the journey had not been smooth but was grateful to the support of his family, especially his wife and three boys, for their immense support and prayers.
Touting his achievements, Mr Asante said he had authored and published 10 textbooks used by all basic schools and approved by the Ghana Education Service.
Under community support, the most outstanding teacher said he had donated 15 computers, a projector and 600 textbooks to his alma mater – Akoase Basic School in the Eastern Region – offered scholarship and assistance to some students in Kwahu Tafo SHS and Mfanteman SHS in addition to free extra classes for them on vacations.
Mr Asante started his education at Akoase Basic School in the New Aberem District for his BECE and continued to the St Michael SHS for his SSCE in 2001.
He completed Asokore SDA College of Education in 2008 and had his First Degree in Education at the University of Education, Winneba in 2011.
Currently he holds Master’s Degree in Education Curriculum and Instruction in ICT awarded by the University of Education, Winneba.
In 2015-2016, he secured a scholarship to pursue Network Engineering programme in India sponsored by the Indian Government where he took the opportunity to study a payable programme in Website Development.
Other awardees included Mrs Gloria Anima Junior, a teacher at Aboabo No. 4 Presbyterian Primary School, who was the First Runner-up, and she took home a 4×4 double cabin Pick-Up, while Mrs Sandrah Osei of Akwatia Technical Institute was given a branded saloon car for being the Second Runner-up.
The awards, instituted in 1995, was rebranded in 2018 and dubbed; “GhanaTeacher Prize” in line with international standards as the new benchmark to reward teachers who had shown class and distinguished themselves to motivate others to emulate.
It was celebrated on the theme: “Teacher Leadership in Developing Crisis Education Response.”
GNA