House for this year's National Best Teacher

Accra, May 4, GNA - Mr Ekwow Spio-Gabrah, Minister of Education, on Thursday hinted that this year's National Best Teacher would be given a two-bedroom house.

This, he said, is to give the national teacher's award scheme a new dimension and encourage teachers to give of their best to improve teaching in the classroom.

Mr Spio-Garbrah said this when the North American and the European chapters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) called on him to find out what is pertaining in the ministry and how best they could help.

The NDC foreign chapters, which is made up of 12 North American chapters, UK, Ireland, Holland and Sweden, were in the country for the NDC national delegates' congress held at Ho last week end.

The house, the Minister said, is an additional incentive for Ghanaians to know that government is committed to the cause of improving the living standard of teachers.

This, he believed, would further boost the morale of teachers. Mr Spio-Garbrah noted that the ministry has already appealed to real estate developers to support the teachers' award scheme and said he hoped that they would see it as their national contribution towards the improvement of education.

The Minister asked the visitors to tour other ministries to get first hand information on what is happening in the country before they leave. "This would enable you present good image and a proper account of what is happening in the country to other nationals, who are interested in our national issues".

Mr Kweku Ampah, a US-based Ghanaian businessman, said he and some Ghanaians have establish an non-governmental organisation called Parents Association of Students in the Universities (PASU) and their objective is to raise funds from inside and outside Ghana to assist needy and brilliant students in tertiary institutions.

Mr Ampah said apart from offering scholarships to students, PASU would use some of the fund in the construction of hostels for students at tertiary institutions and provide other needs of the universities.

He announced that PASU would soon be inaugurated and appealed to all to join hands and contribute when the time comes.