President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has commended teachers in various parts of the country for their excellent contributions towards the achievement of the education transformational agenda of the country.
He said teachers are essential contributors to the nation’s human resource development.
He stressed that the significant role teachers have played and continue to play in the development agenda of the nation, cannot be overlooked.
“We appreciate you for shaping the minds and hands of the future generation and imbibing in them our cultural heritage and ideals that bind us as a people,” the president noted.
The President was speaking at the 2023 Best Teachers’ Awards ceremony dubbed “Ghana Teachers Prize” held in Takoradi yesterday.
The awards scheme was to motivate teachers for higher performance and restore the respect the profession should enjoy.
The Ghana Teachers Prize underlines the importance of the teaching profession, and symbolises the fact that teachers deserve to be recognised and celebrated.
The 2023 edition was under the theme, “The Teachers We Need for the Education We Want: The Global Imperative to Reverse the Teacher Shortage”.
President Akufo-Addo pointed out that government’s commitment to education had been exemplary, adding, “And I am encouraged by the considerable improvement in Ghana’s education system.”
He said the government was working assiduously with the relevant stakeholders to assist teachers acquire skills the 21st century teacher needed.
The President mentioned that the huge investment in the education sector; retooling of institutions, upgrade in teacher standards and professionalism, and the Free Senior High School policy, has yielded the needed results.
According to the President, the quality of secondary education has improved significantly under the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, contrary to views held by many.
He said there has been substantial increase in enrolments recorded under the policy and also, students were performing relatively better in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) than in previous years.
He took pride in the success of the 2022 WASSCE, attributing it to the effectiveness of his government’s education policies.
President Akufo-Addo also highlighted the remarkable improvements of WASSCE results under the Free SHS policy compared to the previous years.
He pledged his government’s commitment to sustaining the policy for the benefit of brilliant students whose parents are not able to afford their fees.
“Now I have been vindicated because those who opposed the policy when it was about to be introduced are now saying they will include private schools when you vote for them,” the President pointed out.
He was, however, not evasive of the many challenges confronting the educational sector despite the upgrade and retooling, adding, “But we are committed to resourcing teachers, improve their living conditions and create the enabling environment for teachers to thrive.”
The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, appreciated the teeming teacher population of the country for their hard work and commitment to educating the Ghanaian child.
He said the country needed certain core elements such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and effective communication in teaching and learning, and prayed that the Ghanaian teacher, become conscious of these factors.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi