Asantehene pledges GH¢10,000 to national best teachers

Kumasi, Oct. 17, GNA - Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has pledged 10,000 Ghana cedis to the five 2008 national best teachers' award winners, all of them from Ashanti Region for the honour bestowed on Asanteman. He described the honour as appropriate and commendable, explaining that teaching was a profession that needed to be accorded the due respect and recognition. Otumfuo Osei Tutu made the pledge when five outstanding teachers from the Region honoured at the 2008 national best teachers' award held in Sunyani paid a courtesy call on him at Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Wednesday.

They are Mr Sadique Boateng of Kumasi T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School (SHS), who emerged the overall best, Mrs Magdalene Mensah, a French teacher at Opoku Ware SHS, who was the first runner up, Mr Charles Forkuo of Akrokerri College of Education who placed second in the mathematics category, Mr Clifford Addo-Diabene of Kumasi Secondary/Techical, third in science and Mr Michael Acheampong of Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI), who also came third in the technical category.

The Asantehene noted that Ghana could only advance in her social and economic development if teachers were adequately motivated to enable them educate the populace especially the youth to assume the centre stage in the nation's developmental agenda. "The improvement of the quality of life of Ghanaians can only be realized if teachers are adequately empowered to contribute meaningfully to overcome poverty, ignorance and squalor," he said. Otumfuo Osei Tutu was optimistic that the awards would not only motivate the winners to work harder but also other teachers to perform creditably.

Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, thanked the Asantehene for his immense support to the development of education in the country and gave the assurance that the teachers would continue to work harder to bring more honours not only to themselves but Asanteman.