Enyanmaim (C/R), April 18, GNA - Fifty-one hard working teachers, head teachers and education promoters in Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District have been honoured at the Best Teacher Award ceremony at Enyanmaim. In a speech, Mrs Justina Esenam Tordjagbo, Central Regional Director of Education, urged people of the Region to rekindle the spirit, which made the Region the cradle of education the country. Sadly, this phenomenon appears to be a past glory, Mrs Tordjagbo said, adding that the standard of education especially in the rural areas was not encouraging.

She appealed to teachers to eschew all forms of activities that were counter-productive to education.

The Rt. Rev. Isaac Kwesi Quansah, Bishop of the Cape Coast Diocese of the Methodist Church, in a keynote address urged the government to implement recommendations of committees on "management for efficiency" a component of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme.

Rt. Rev. Quansah noted that the bane of education in the country was poor management.

He appealed to the government, parents and communities to motivate teachers to perform efficiently. The Bishop expressed concern about the moral decay, which had engulfed the country and urged society not to shirk its responsibility by ensuring the moral upbringing of the youth.

Mr Kenneth Obempong, Acting District Chief Executive for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, said the government, being mindful of the central position of the teacher in the development of the human resource base had evolved policy strategies to make teachers play their roles meaningfully.

He mentioned the strengthening of capacity, the creation of an enabling environment for teaching and learning and rewards and motivation for hard working teachers as some of the strategies and urged teachers to reciprocate the gesture by giving off their best. Mr Peter Droefenu, District Director of Education, appealed to the District Assembly to complete the office accommodation for the District Directorate of Education, which had been abandoned since 1999. The theme for the occasion was: "The teacher, the pivot for change and innovation."

Bicycles, gas cookers, radio cassette players, suitcases and wall clocks were presented to the award winners.