President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday reiterated his government’s commitment to ensuring that the teaching profession regains its pride in the social and economic development agenda of Ghana.

“Whatever the route that our teachers use to come into teaching, we must recognise that putting our teachers first is the reverse side of the adage that every Ghanaian child matters,” he said, adding that it was time society recognises the invaluable benefits of teachers to one’s individual socio-economic status and national progress.

President Akufo-Addo said government’s policy to improve upon the educational sector, as championed in the 2017 Budget, would be teacher-centered.

According to him, “teaching will no longer be a stop-gap measure or a job of last resort but a viable choice to enter a well-paid and a well-respected profession with long term career prospects and good benefits.”

“This policy will not only meet the professional and economic needs of existing teachers but will also look at the way new teachers are trained and treated… Whatever policies and plans we are implementing today is geared towards mobilising for Ghana’s future.”

The President, while commending the award winners, further noted that education should be a right that all Ghanaians could access, indicating that, the assets of any nation is the people in the country and that the well-being of the people as far as education is concerned should be paramount in the day to day administration of the country.

“…I know I’m looking into the eyes of Ghana’s future, you remind me of the fact that as President I must work harder to guarantee that knowledge becomes the backbone of our modern economy and prosperity.

“Education should be a right which all of Ghana’s youth should exercise. Today’s youth, running barefoot to school, could be a future leader of industry, business or government. Education is the equalizer of opportunity …I am in this position as President because of education,” the President said.

The President made this assertion at the Banquet Hall of the State House on Sunday, where he presented awards to some sixty (60) selected students from across the ten regions in the country for displaying academic excellence in the 2016 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The students who rose above their peers in their final basic education exam received the enviable accolades during the Ghana@60 Presidential Awards ceremony that took place at the Banquet Hall, State House.

The event which is held annually was on the theme ‘mobilising for Ghana’s future’ and had in attendance the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Vice President Dr. Bawumia, the Chief Justice Georgina Woode and some ministers, as well as some Members of Parliament and other distinguished personalities.

Acknowledging the importance of education to the nation, President Akufo-Addo also said investment in education is one of his government’s topmost priorities.

According to the first Gentleman of the land, the dream of making Ghana the star of Africa would be unachievable if Ghana does not invest in its human resource.

The president alluded to the fact that the success of every nation largely depends on how educated its human resources are, for which reason his administration is focused on developing the human resource in the country.

“The most important asset of any nation is its people, particularly the youth. During my campaign, I met a lot of Ghanaians with wild imaginations and outstanding dreams but as the concerns of day-to-day creep in, those dreams are put away somehow, but some of us managed to hold on to our dreams and that is why we are here.

“All of you (students) gathered here are dreaming and it’s the duty of Ghana to ensure that the dreamers keep dreaming. We are at a point where we need big dreams to complete the transformation of our country into a modern 21st century nation. It is for this reason that investment in education has become a key priority for my government.’’

Delivering his address, the Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh reiterated the implementation of the free Senior High School policy in September this year. He, however, admitted that, the challenges in implementing such an ambitious policy cannot be ruled out.

He congratulated the students for winning the Presidential Awards and also acknowledged the efforts of the teachers who nurtured the students.

The minister admonished the students not to relax on their laurels, since it’s the first step in their quest to become ‘responsible citizens’. He advised them to eschew complacency and build on this achievement. He assured them of government’s unwavering support which has been demonstrated through the introduction of the ‘Free SHS’ programme.

“Firstly, I will thank the teachers who have made this possible through teaching and mentoring these young kids.

“You should serve as role models to your colleague teachers. To the awardees, you’ve done well and we are proud to be with you today and honour you for achievements worth emulating.

“This is just the first step in your life long ambitions to become responsible citizens. Excellence should be your watch word to aid you to your respective dreams so that Ghana will be proud of you.

“I assure you of government’s unwavering commitment and support to education as seen in the introduction of the ‘free SHS’ programme.”

As prizes for their remarkable feat, the twenty overall best students received laptops, cash prizes, hampers from title sponsors- Nestle Ghana- and plaques, whiles the other forty who were selected based on their output in Mathematics, Integrated Science, English Language and Basic Design and Technology received the aforementioned items, aside the laptops.