Teachers in the Upper East Region have been honoured for their immense contribution towards improving quality teaching and learning in the development of the nation’s human capital.

The award scheme was instituted as a motivational tool for teachers to work harder in improving teaching and learning in their areas in order to achieve the objectives of the nation’s Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), especially those related to quality education.

At a ceremony to honour the teachers in Bolgatanga on Wednesday, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister said no nation could achieve meaningful socio-economic development without developing its human resources to man various sectors of national economy, which usually comes through teachers.

“This makes the role of the teacher in human capital development very imperative” he added.

He noted that government was committed to promoting quality education at the pre-tertiary level and said it was the foundation of every nation’s educational system.

“Without a strong foundation, not much can be achieved at the tertiary level which obviously will have the potential of affecting critical manpower development needs in various sectors of the economy including our political and social development”.

He mentioned the Capitation Grant, distance learning programmes to upgrade their knowledge and professional competence, upgrade of teacher training colleges to colleges of education, provision of free school uniforms and the school feeding programme, teacher retention allowances among others as some interventions of government to improving quality education at the pre-tertiary level.

He called on head teachers to use judiciously the Capitation Grant based on well prepared and approved School Performance Improvement Plans (SPIP) to effectively and efficiently enhance the quality of education in basic schools.

The Minister commended the Regional, District Education Directorates and awardees for their contributions towards the achievement of government’s educational policy objectives.

Mr. Paul Apanga, Upper East Regional Director of Education, urged district assemblies to sponsor more teachers in deprived communities to reduce the pupil teacher-ratio in the region.

He appealed to government and the Ministry of Education as a matter of urgency to increase quotas for the 38 colleges of education in the country since most colleges had enough space to admit more students.

This according to him would help check the pupil-teacher ratio in the country which had contributed to recent fallen standards of education.

Awards were presented to deserving teachers and workers of education in the region.**