Wa, Oct. 5, GNA - Mrs. Charlotte Azurago, Teacher of St. Charles Lwanga Primary School in Zebilla in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region was on Tuesday crowned as the national annual best teacher for the year 2004.

For her award she was given a cheque for 280 million cedis, a refrigerator, a certificate and a plaque and also had the option to put a house at her own choice of site.

The 28-year-old teacher was followed by Mr. Samuel Asare, Tutor of Pope John's Minor Seminary Secondary School, Koforidua and Mrs. Theresa Quaye a Teacher at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Junior Secondary School, who placed second and third and received Nissan Sunny Saloon cars valued at 220 million cedis and 190 million cedis respectively.

Twenty-seven other teachers who placed first, second and third in the primary, junior secondary, senior secondary, technical and vocational, science, teacher training college and non-teaching categories received items made up of television sets, refrigerators, video cassette recorders, solar lamps and gas cookers.

President John Agyekum Kufuor in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Sahanun Mogtari, Upper West Regional Minister called on teachers to accept postings to all part of the country.

He warned against negligence of duty, alcoholism, absenteeism and indiscipline among teachers and appealed to the leadership of the teachers to sit up and correct the inequitable distribution of the national cake.

President Kufuor called on the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education to consider increasing the awards categories to be able to capture more teachers to receive awards.

Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports said the white paper on presidential committee on education would soon be out and called on the general public to study it well to be able to come out with contributions.

He said under the paper, welfare of teachers in terms of housing, transport and other personal property were adequately catered for. Miss Portia Molly Anafo, Acting National President of GNAT appealed to the Government to come out with congenial working conditions that would attract more young people into the teaching profession.

The National Secretariat of GNAT presented school kits made up of bags, books, pens, school uniform and others to 20 brilliant but needy children from Baazing Primary School of the Lawra District, while Ghana Education Service also presented a cheque for one million cedis each to 10 regional best National Service persons from all the 10 regions of the country.