New Abirem (E/R), June 24, GNA - 25 basic and second cycle school teachers and non-teaching staff in the Birim North District have been honoured for their hard work and dedication to duty at the 2005/2006 best teacher awards ceremony held at New Aberim at the weekend. They received items ranging from gas cookers, television sets, tabletop, refrigerators to wall clocks. The Ghana Education Service (GES) also presented 60 bicycles for distribution to male and female teachers teaching in the deprived communities in the district.

Teachers who came first in the Primary, JSS and SSS categories were presented with tabletop refrigerators while those who came second received 14-inch colour television sets. Those who came third had gas cookers and its accessories. Six staff at the district education office also had wall clocks for long service.

The awards were sponsored by the Ntiamoah Foundation, an NGO, the District Assembly, the Members of Parliament (MP) for Ofoase /Ayirebi and Abirem constituencies, Mr David Opong Kussi and Ms Esther Obeng Dapaah respectively and the GES. In an address read on her behalf, the Eastern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Akosua Adu called on the district assemblies and other educational stakeholders to assist the GES to organize the awards annually.

She said awards would motivate teachers to work hard to improve the standard of education in the country. She commended the district for honouring 236 teachers and non-teaching staffs since the award scheme started and suggested that a workshop should be organized for the various award winners with the view of tapping their resources for the benefit of other teachers and the district.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Nana Acquah Frempong urged the award winners to cooperate with the teachers to improve the standard of education in the district.

He advised teachers to take advantage of the distant education programme to upgrade their knowledge to enhance their performance. The District Director of Education, Mr George Diko said the district had 47 per cent in the 2006 Basic School Certificate Examination as against 39 per cent in 2005 and appealed for the construction of teachers' quarters in the communities to provide accommodation for the teachers.

He said teachers play a significant role in the training of the nation's human resource development and therefore needed motivations and learning materials to enhance their performances Mr Diko said the main duty of a teacher was to help pupils and students to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and attitude as prescribed in the school curriculum for them to become responsible citizens.

He explained that apart from teaching in the classroom, teachers perform various social duties such as visiting pupils at home, offering guidance and counselling services as well as participating in public health education. 24 June 07