Kumasi, Oct.15, GNA - Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, has expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the government for instituting the Best Teacher Awards, which he said, has raised the morale of teachers in the country. He noted that, several incentive packages initiated by the government which included the granting of study leave with pay to teachers, provision of numerous educational infrastructure, and fee-free education have tremendously improved quality education delivery in the country. Mr Owusu-Ansah made the commendation when the 2008 National Best Teacher, first runner-up and three other national award winners from the Ashanti Region paid a courtesy call on him at his office on Monday. Mr Sadique Boateng, a Science and Information Communications Technology (ICT) Tutor at Kumasi T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School won the National Best Award, while Mrs Magdelene Mensah, a French Tutor at Opoku Ware School also in Kumasi placed second. The National Best Teachers' in Science, Mathematics and Technology also came from the region to join the team to call on the regional minister.

Mr Owusu-Ansah noted that the government greatly appreciates and recognizes the immense contributions that teachers render to the socio-economic development of the country, adding that, it would continue to offer the needed support to accelerate the provision of quality education to all school-going Ghanaians. He advised the award winners to serve as role models and lead lives worthy of emulation. Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, expressed his gratitude to the Regional Coordinating Council for its concern for educational development in the region. He assured that the Education Directorate would not relax but institute effective mechanisms to motivate other teachers to perform creditably.