Thirty-eight-year-old Nicolas Mawunyo Gborse, an English and History Tutor at the Bishop Herman College, Kpando, in the Volta Region, was on Friday adjudged Ghana’s Most Outstanding Teacher, during this year’s Ghana Teacher Prize Awards and the 24th edition of the World Teachers Day.

He received a three-bedroom house worth GH¢ 180,000, a GH¢ 500,000 life insurance package from SIC life and a certificate.

Ms Augusta Lartey-Young, an English Tutor at the Presbyterian Boys Senior High School, Legon, in the Greater Accra Region was the First Runner-Up and took home a 4x4 Pick-Up worth GH¢ 130,000 and GH¢ 300,000 life insurance package and a certificate, while Mr Owusu Antepim, a Mathematics Tutor at Nsutaman Catholic Senior High School in the Ashanti Region was the Second Runner-Up and got a saloon car, GH¢ 200,000 life insurance package and a certificate.

The Ghana Teacher Prize 2018 is the maiden version of the rebranded National Best Teacher Awards, with an international standard as the new benchmark, which was held on the theme: “The Right to Education Means the Right to a Qualified Teacher”.

In all, 13 awards were given to teachers and non-teaching staff from the basic to the second cycle educational institutions, both public and private institutions, for their meritorious contribution to national development.

The award winners took home assorted items including refrigerators, laptops, flat screen televisions, cash prizes and certificates.

Mr Gborse, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, expressed gratitude to the Almighty God for winning the Award and said there were many teachers teaching in some deprived communities across the country who were unsung heroes.

He said those teachers were contributing their quota towards building the nation’s human resource and believed that at the right time they would be rewarded for their sacrifices.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in an address, saluted the award winners and all teachers for their dedication to duty and acknowledged the pivotal role they were playing towards the human resource development.

He said the ceremony intended to motivate teachers for higher performance and to restore the respect of the teaching profession as well as retaining qualified teachers and improving their work performance towards ensuring effective teaching and learning.

He said teachers were not only imparting knowledge, but also shaping the moral character of the people to becoming responsible citizens and assured of Government’s commitment to safeguard their welfare.

“The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is fully committed to undertaking several reforms in our education sector to ensure that the education we’re providing for our children is fit for purpose and is able to deliver quality education outcomes,” the Vice President assured.

He acknowledged that no country could embark on the path of quality education for its citizens for national development without the teacher as an important part of that framework.

He said government introduced the Free SHS programme in September 2017 and the restoration of teacher trainee allowance, as well as undertaking wide reforms to equip teachers with the right tools to ensure that they deliver quality learning outcomes in consonance with its mantra “Teacher First”.

This year’s event was jointly organized by the National Teaching Council and the Ghana Education Service and brought together key stakeholders in the education sector, including teachers, teacher unions, sponsors and students.