Tema, Feb 17, GNA - An educationist has appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to make the teaching profession more attractive alongside considering education for all children of school going age. Mrs Lucy Kwapong, Tema Municipal Director of Education, said this during the municipal's 2004 and 2005 best teacher awards ceremony on Thursday.

"It is imperative for government and GES to consider education for all school going children hand in hand with making the teaching profession much more attractive than what it is now for teachers to take up the challenge of quality education for all," she said. Touching on the theme for the celebration; 'Teacher Motivation - The key to sustaining quality education delivery', she said teachers needed to be motivated in order for them to give off their best to the children who have been entrusted into their care. Mrs Kwapong said with the increasing class sizes, teachers were burdened with more classroom work and co-curricular activities adding, "teacher motivation therefore becomes the key to sustaining quality education delivery"

Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, the Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, said in a speech read on her behalf that the institution of the best teacher awards scheme eleven years ago had been a remarkable show of appreciation to teachers. She said the government had approved 3,000 places for teachers to go on study leave with pay.

Mr David Annang, Tema Municipal Chief Executive, said the theme for the awards day was most appropriate because teachers were at the centre of all education improvement strategies and served as a fulcrum around which all knowledge importation revolves.

He said government's policies such as upgrading of teacher training colleges into diploma awarding institutions attested to the government's resolve to enhance the output of the Ghanaian teacher. Mr Annan said TMA was running a scheme to sponsor teachers in the Ga and technical fields to training colleges to cater for inadequacy of teachers in those subject areas.

TMA has instituted an annual scholarship awards for brilliant but needy students in second cycle schools to boost human resource development in the municipality.

The award winners for the first position for the junior categories for 2004 went to Mr James Addae for primary, Madam Barbara Ofori for JSS general and Madam Gifty Nana Mensa for JSS mathematics and science, while that of 2004 Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) categories went to Mr Nathaniel Attah for general, Mr Robert Bonney for Science and Madam Annie Adzivor for technical and vocational. For the year 2005 award winners for the first position, the junior categories went to Madam Cynthia Gbadago for primary, Madam Leticia Lartey for JSS general, Mr Frank Asempapa for JSS science, while that of the senior category went to Mr Asare Badu Offei for SSS general, Mr Mathew Adamani for SSS science and Mr Eric Mac-Teye for technical and vocational.

All the first position award winners were presented with items ranging from televisions to table top refrigerator as well as products from Cowbell Company Limited. Other award winners including the non-teaching staff were also presented with items including wax prints, suitcases and standing fans.