THOUGHT ON BEST TEACHER AWARDS (NSEMPA, PAGE 20)

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah & Samuel Duodu, Sunyani.

A NUMBER of people who attended the 14th Edition of the National Best Teacher Awards ceremony at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani, the capital of the Brong Ahafo Region, have expressed varied opinions about the institution of the scheme.
While some of them argued that the yearly programme was a laudable initiative by the GNAT in 1995, others called for its expansion to cover more teachers and a review of some of the prizes, as well as an improvement of the general condition of service of teachers in the country.
Recognition
They contended that, since teachers were looked up to as opinion leaders, the awards would further strengthen their relationship with the communities in which they rendered their service.
Professor James H. Ephraim, the Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University College of Ghana (CUCG) at Fiapre, near Sunyani, described the awards as a good facility to recognise the contributions of teachers but noted that; the awards were a “tokenism.”
He explained that there were a lot more teachers whose work needed to be recognised and rewarded to serve as an encouragement for them to give their best, adding that, if the general conditions of teachers were improved, there would not be the need for the awards.
Mrs Akua Akubour Debrah, the Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Education, also indicated that the awards scheme was a good one because it served as a reminder to all teachers to work harder.
She observed that the awards had a great impact on society at large, since teachers were not only supposed to teach, but their lives had an influence in the communities they served, especially the children they taught.
The Volta Regional Secretary of GNAT, Nana Pobee Asomaning, said the scheme as it stood now, served as an impetus for teachers, especially the young ones, adding that it was laudable but ought to be expanded to embrace more teachers for them to work harder.
Motivation
Mr Kwadwo Fordjour, a driver at the GNAT Secretariat in Kumasi, pointed out that, since teachers were training children to become future leaders, they were considered to be very important in society and so the institution of the awards was in the right direction.
The Public Relations Officer of the Western Regional Education office in Sekondi, Mr Francis Sankah, also said the awards were motivational and a welcome initiative for teachers to work harder.
However, he pointed out that, the presentation of fridges as prizes should be reviewed, describing those prizes as not good enough and only a token and also called for its expansion.
Ms Veronica Asare, a teacher of the St. Theresa’s Primary School at Asawasi in Kumasi for her part, indicated that whoever was occupying any enviable position, whether as a Member of Parliament, an engineer, doctor etc., were all taught by a teacher and therefore the work of teacher needed to be appreciated.
She suggested that the organisers should consider those who had taught for 10years and above in the next award instead of selecting only young ones who were energetic.
Honour
Nana Bofo Bena IV, Omanhene of Dwenem Traditaional Area in the Brong Ahafo Region, also described the scheme as very good in the sense that, “A nation that does not honour its heroes was not worth dying for,” because it was the teacher’s contribution that had resulted in the socio-economic transformation of the country.
The Awerempimhene of Awua-Odumasi, near Sunyani, Nana Kwabena Ameyaw, who is also a retired Education Director, said the awards were very useful and encouraged teachers to give their best, and stressed that when one worked hard he or she needed to be rewarded.
He appealed to corporate oragnisations and benevolent individuals and groups to join the GNAT and the government in sponsoring the awards to cover more teachers.
The Upper East Regional Co-ordinator of the Best Teacher Awards noted that, a well-motivated teacher would be committed to his or her work, thereby improving the quality of teaching and learning, adding that the awards would ensure commitment and sacrifices.
Nana Kwadwo Kwakyie, Wirepemhene of Asankrabreman Division in the Wassa Amenfi District in the Western Region and Chairman of the Brong Ahafo Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools, for his part said the awards was a good motivation for teachers that gives them national recognition.
Private schools
But, he observed that there were teachers in the private schools who were equally good and dedicated to their work like their counterparts in the public schools but were not recognised.
“We in the private sector have been conspicuously left out in the National Best Teacher Award Day, and I am therefore appealing to the organisers and the government to include teachers in the private sector in the awards, since we also contribute to the human resource development of the country,” Nana Kwakyie stressed.
Mr Apraku Tuffuor, Regional Committee Planning Member of the 14th edition of the teachers’ award day, said it was to recognise hard work, dedication and sacrifice.
He noted that being awarded does not mean you should be given something that you cannot afford, and that the significance of the awards was the recognition and not the value, and called on the committee, to upgrade the prizes.
Mr Emmanuel Charles Ansong of the Sunyani Municipal Fire Service Command and also in-charge of the Fire Education Team, pointed out that, the award scheme for teachers was laudable.
He however, urged teachers in the public schools to put in their maximum best to arrest the declining standard of education in the public sector.
Mr Yaw Adade Mensah, the Brong Ahafo Regional Manager of the Ghana Water Company, for his part, congratulated all teachers for the good work and expressed the hope that the awards would serve as a morale booster to them.