Hohoe, Feb. 6, GNA - Twenty-four teachers in Primary, Junior Secondary School (JSS) Training College and Second Cycle Schools including four non-teaching personnel in public schools in the Volta Region were on Friday honoured with awards and certificates for their contribution to enhancement of education in the Volta Region.

The overall best in each category received a double-door refrigerator, while the first and second runners-up received gas cookers with the third- runners up winning 21-inch colour television sets each. In a keynote address, Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa Volta Regional Minister said government was aware of the immense contributions being made by teachers towards the proper upbringing of the youth and was therefore doing all it could to honour and motivate the hard working and dedicated teachers. He appealed to organisations, agencies, individuals and philanthropists to support the scheme in the region in order to help promote and encourage teaching and learning.

Mr Owusu-Yeboa expressed concern about the region's poor performances in the BECE and SSSCE for three consecutive years and hoped the Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) would help identify some of the major causes and address them.

Mr Samuel Gyan, Volta Regional Director of Education said criteria for selecting the award winners included the exhibition of professionalism, patriotism, dedication, commitment, moral uprightness and good community relations.

He noted that as much as the clock of education was being pushed forward there were bad nuts among the teachers and non-teaching personnel who were pulling the clock backwards.

"They are non-performing, some of whom are drunkards, truants, latecomers and disrespectful to their own Headmasters", Mr Gyan said. He said the poor performance of pupils therefore, reflects unprofessional conduct and poor calibre of teachers in the basic and second cycle schools in the region.

Mr Gyan therefore, charged Chiefs, School Management Committees (SMCs), Board of Governors and other stakeholders to identify the possible causes of the poor academic performance in schools for a lasting solution to address the situation.

Mr Gyan also urged District Assemblies to address the acute accommodation problems facing teachers in the region.

Mrs Christine Seayor, Hohoe District Director of Education in her welcoming address, said poor infrastructure, inadequate financial support for programmes and activities and lack of accommodation for teachers were some of the major factors militating against effective teaching and learning.

She appealed to District Assemblies to enact by-laws to stop children from hawking during school hours.

The overall best winners in the various categories were, Primary Schools, Vincentia Abla Semana of Tokrokpo, South Tongu, John Kwasi Osafo, of Kadjebi for JSS and Lawrence Emmanuel Kweku Adzaku, Bishop Herman College, Kpando for SSS.

The best in the Teacher Training category was Laura Day Agbenu of Saint Teresa's Training College, Hohoe.