Self-motivation should be hallmark of teachers - Dr. Fosu

Tamale, Aug. 16, GNA - Dr. Mathias Fosu, Deputy Director of Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) said self-motivation should be the hallmark of a good teacher.

He said, while it was important that the government and other stakeholders motivated teachers, self-motivation was the initial pre-requisite in ensuring quality education.

"A teacher that has self-motivation will also have quality awareness and exhibit professional ethics but a teacher that has no self-motivation may not significantly improve quality even with external motivation", he said.

" Self-motivation goes with self-evaluation, by reflecting on his or her own teaching and critically examining the methods used and looking for alternative ways of teaching, a teacher can significantly improve the quality of teaching and learning", he added. Dr. Fosu said this when he spoke on: "Teacher motivation- the key to quality education in Ghana" at the 6th National Delegates Congress of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) in Tamale on Tuesday.

He said quality education should not be the responsibility of teachers alone but there must be public responsibility to ensure that all citizens have the right to receive quality education. He said, it was therefore important for the government, educational authorities and other stakeholders to provide quality training and professional development of teachers to improve teacher quality.

Dr. Fosu noted that if Ghana would develop and be able to eliminate poverty, hunger, ignorance and disease, the driving force must be quality education.

"Quality education is that which brings knowledge and positive behavioural changes that have relevance to the present and also the future. It is no more important to provide some form of education for its sake", he said.

"We cannot afford to have an educational system, curricular and education technologies that are static and oblivious of the trends in the world today. There must be consistent changes in our educational systems and its objectives, the nature of students, teachers, facilities, equipment and supplies", he added.

Dr. Fosu noted that educational institutions of higher learning in the country were not changing fast enough to promote technical, vocational and technological training required in the job market as a result graduate unemployment was increasing at an alarming rate. He said education must help young people and children to acquire knowledge and skills needed to perform different tasks that may be required of them and to participate in the economic, social and political life of society.

He said any nation that did not educate its people very well would not benefit from the advantages of globalisation.

The SARI Director said the challenges of education was therefore to lay foundation for change while maintaining the highest quality of the present, pointing out that values such as democracy, fundamental human rights and the rule of law were best attained in an environment of good quality education.