The Minister for Education Hon. Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang last Wednesday launched the 19th edition of the National Best Teacher Award Scheme in Accra.
The award scheme was instituted in 1995 to recognise dedicated and hardworking teachers. It is also to motivate teachers to give off their best in their profession.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the launch was a prelude to series of activities towards the main event scheduled to take place in Wa in the Upper West Region on Saturday 5th October 2013 to coincide with the World Teacher's Day Celebration instituted by the UNESCO.
She said the 19th edition of the award scheme under the theme "A call for Teacher: Teachers take the lead for quality education", would present awards to a total of fifty-five (55) teachers at the National level, 360 at the Regional level and 3,312 at the District level.
"The quality would be greatly enhanced if we better used the resources we have, including time, and appreciated better the national recognition of our roles as teachers, as evidenced in this scheme," he said.
She explained that all staff in the schools had roles to play to raise the quality of learning outcomes in the country.
The Minister revealed that both government and sponsors had also contributed immensely to motivate teachers since the inception of the awards scheme, however, the public deserves better than strikes and threats of strikes as first option of expressing disaffection.
Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agymang indicated that having done the same thing 19 times, there was the need for a review of established practice; perhaps find ways of shifting the focus from individuals to the institutions, of recognising whole schools to include teachers, non-teachers, students and pupils in an all inclusive way.
"My office remains open to advancing this proposition," she added.
The Minister congratulated sponsors of the Best Teacher Award Scheme for their contribution both in cash and in kind to the success of the awards programme over the years and to this year's programme.
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