Kobeng (Ash), May 24, GNA-Nana Yaw Ansah-Bediako II, chief of Kobeng, has called on individuals, organisations and government to give teachers the necessary support to enable them to work harder towards the improvement of education.

He noted that education formed the foundation for national development and must therefore be give the necessary attention to move the sector forward.

Nana Ansah-Bediako was speaking at an educational forum organised by the Atwima-Nwabiagya District education directorate at Kobeng near Nkawie to discuss ways of improving education create educational awareness on enrolment and retention and the community's participation in the development of education.

He said teachers form a vital component for the effective provision of quality education and should therefore be adequately motivated. "The provision of infrastructure and other facilities aimed at enhancing quality education would not achieved the desired results if the service conditions of teachers were not improved", he said. Nana Ansah-Bediako regretted that the salaries and general service conditions of teachers are nothing to write home about while the communities also continue to be hostile towards them. He said teachers have always been at the receiving end of societal injustice, adding, "parents have at various times attacked teachers and assaulted them for punishing their children".

He attributed the inadequate qualified teachers in the system to unattractive service conditions resulting in frustration and consequently a large number of them leave the profession to join other lucrative departments, agencies and institutions.

Mr Richard Owusu-Agyemang, the Atwima District Community Participation Co-ordinator (CPC), asked the society to accord teachers the respect and recognition they deserve to enable them improve performance.