Asantehene Otumfuo Rewards Hardworking Teachers

Asantehene Otumfuo Rewards Hardworking Teachers

THE APPARENTLY dying spirits of teachers, especially those serving in the various underserved and deprived communities, were last Friday resurrected after the King of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, assured them of his uninterrupted contributions and determination to see them rise above obstacles in the pursuit of their ambition.

He said, notwithstanding where they find themselves, they could still strive to achieve greatness, if the central government appreciates the immense contribution of teachers in such 'rejected' communities to the overall development of the country.

Speaking at the 3rd Annual Otumfuo's Teachers' Award Ceremony, which saw 100 teachers from the ten regions across the country being rewarded at the forecourt of the Manhyia Palace last Friday, the 16th occupant of the Golden Stool lamented about the age-long poor handling of teachers who have accepted postings to the hinterlands.

Ten teachers in deprived towns and villages from every each region of Ghana were selected for the annual award which is part of the contribution of the Otumfuo in supporting quality education and to motivate as well as improve the human resources available for teaching in the deprived areas of the country.

Selection process involves the initial nomination by the GES through a set of criteria, followed by screening and location confirmation by the office of the Otumfuo Charity Foundation. Each awardee received a package which included Television sets, certificate of honour, raincoat, box iron, cutlass, a pair of Wellington booth and rechargeable lamp.

According to the organizers of Otumfuo's Charity Foundation, most of the awardees have taught for close to 39 years in the rural areas, where others have refused postings to, and they really deserve to be recognized and honoured.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II reminded teachers in the country of their responsibility to the nation and urged them not to give up, despite their predicament.

The Asantehene noted that he finds it appalling, particularly at this critical moment, when education encompasses various elements to achieve the desired goals, only a fraction, such as text books, infrastructure and students are all well focused by governments, neglecting the very existence of education, which he noted were teachers.

The Asantehene also condemned what has become known as "punishment transfer" in the teaching service, saying that the era where teachers are some times posted to the rural communities to serve as punishment to them should be aborted, while the Ghana Education

Service and the government do more to bring the economic levels of teachers at par, irrespective of where one teaches.

According to the Asante monarchy, the Foundation with the support of his wife, Lady Julia, has established ICT learning centres in communities, which are now the commanding heights in the world order of achieving technology advancement, to aid efforts by the country to close the technological gap with the western world.

He said he was only doing his bit to augment efforts by the state in its pursuit to bring quality education, particularly in the rural areas, which to him lag behind in terms of teacher motivation and support.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II urged corporate entities and individuals who can support education to ensure that they do the right thing in supporting education and not put the entire burden on the government alone.

"... Because when our children take to robbery as a result of their inability to go to school, it is not the president or the minister who will feel the brunt of such criminals and their activities, but the ordinary citizens like you and myself".

The Asante King assured that he will continue to ensure that the lives of teachers in the country are better in order for them to give their best in serving the nation.

The Ghana Education Service, in a citation, described the Asantehene as 'a pillar of our time whose efforts in supporting this sector cannot be quantified", adding that the GES was grateful for the constant motivation he King gave to teachers in the deprived communities.

Expressing appreciation on behalf of the awardees and award winner, Agbaglah Kudzo Donkor, called for God's unlimited blessings for the Asante King, expressing the believe that such honour will spur them to give out their best, irrespective of where they find themselves.

Over 450 teachers across the country have been honoured by Otumfuo since the inception of the Otumfuo Teachers Award in 2011.