MTN Ghana Foundation would be celebrating the World Teachers’ Day on Thursday, October 5, with a presentation of scholarships to 20 public school teachers.

The scholarships are for the beneficiaries to upgrade their education at the First Degree or Master’s Degree levels at the University of Cape Coast or the University of Education, Winneba.

This year’s Day, is being celebrated worldwide on the theme “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers.”

A statement issued, in Accra, and copied to the Ghana News Agency by Mrs Pala Asiedu Ofori, the Acting Corporate Services Executive, MTN, said out of the 20 beneficiaries, 10 would be pursuing under graduate programmes, while the rest would be pursuing a Master’s Degree.

It said the scholarships would be awarded in line with MTN’s Teacher Improvement Award Programme, which was designed to financially assist teachers in first and second cycle public institutions, who wished to further their education in Science, Mathematics or English.

The MTN Ghana Foundation launched the Award Programme in 2015. Since then, 40 teachers have benefited.

Mrs Asiedu Ofori, commenting on the celebrations, said, “The theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day emphasises the need for teachers to be empowered with the requisite skills and tools to enable them deliver professional and quality education.”

She said the Foundation had thus over the years, committed resources to supporting initiatives such as the Award Programme to empower and motivate teachers.

The Foundation has also supported other initiatives aimed at rewarding teachers, including the National Best Teacher Awards Scheme, which MTN supported for eight years - from 2007 to 2014 - by providing 4 x 4 pickup vehicles for the second runner up winners.

The MTN Ghana Foundation’s support for World Teachers’ Day celebrations is also an initiative to support efforts being made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), she said.

The Day is marked annually on October 5, and is celebrated in more than 100 countries; with the aim of highlighting the essential role of teachers in providing quality education and human development at all levels, and to further promote international standards for the teaching profession.