As part of the agenda to celebrate, honor and motivate extraordinary teachers in the Yilo Krobo Municipality, the Yilo Krobo Municipal Directorate of Education in collaboration with the Member of Parliament (MP) for Yilo Krobo in the Eastern Region, Dr. Albert Tetteh Nyakotey on World Teachers Day 2023 held the Ghana Teacher Prize for teachers in the constituency.

Held on the theme, ‘The teachers we need for the education we want: the global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage,’ deserving teachers were awarded in various competitive categories.

In all, 20 teachers were recognized and awarded from seven categories including non-teaching staff.

A total of seven (7) teachers were also rewarded by the lawmaker under his MP’s special awards, nine (9) and a further five (5) were also honoured in the non-competitive Director’s Special Awards and Legendary Teachers Awards.

The overall best, Miss Augustina Nagai went home with a double decker refrigerator.

In the KG category, Francis Nii Okrah of the Aketebour M/A Basic School came first with Felicia Nakie Teye and Rita Larbi of the Nkurakan M/A Primary and Wawase M/A Primary coming second and third respectively.

In the Primary category, Tettey Obloni of the Obawale Presby Primary won the first prize with Heneku Francisca of the Nkurakan Presby Primary and, Abadzi Reuben of the Perpetifi M/A Basic winning the first and second positions.

Alice Odzawo of the Somanya Presby JHS and Awaitey Bernard of the Perpetifi M/A Basic came first and second in the JHS category, with Rosemond Aki Vanderpuie of the Sra Presby JHS winning the headteachers prize.

In the SHS category, Kpabitey Abraham, Nanor Tetteh and Loretta Opoku Abrokwa of the Yilo Krobo SHS, Klo-Agogo SHS and Apersua SHS respectively winning the first, second and third prizes.

Headmaster of the Yilo Krobo Senior High School, Mr. Philip Narh Donkor of was also adjudged best headmaster for the SHS category.

In the Teacher in Administration category, Stanley Matthew Oluwaye, Mabel Asante and Hayford Oke Kwame Attikpo Came 1st, 2nd And 3rd respectively with Esther Sackey winning the first position and Christopher Dikatey Teye picking the second position in the non-teaching staff category.

Winners of the first positions took home 32” TV sets with the second and third positions going home with gas cookers and standing fans respectively.

According to Dr. Nyakotey Tetteh, aside from improving on infrastructure in his constituency, he’s also committed to through the awards, encourage teachers to do their best and be at the forefront in grooming leaders for the next generation.

“We all know the role teachers play in education, if we have infrastructure and we don’t have good teachers, our kids will not develop the way we want them to, so I did this to congratulate the teachers and to motivate them to tell them that whatever they’re doing, they’re being observed,” said the lawmaker.

Outlining some concerns of teachers, the MP said the teachers aside from seeking compensation for their colleagues working the deprived areas, also harbor a lingering sense of dissatisfaction surrounding their general conditions of service.

Though this is the first edition of the MP’s initiative, the legislator disclosed that the plan is to make it an annual affair with further plans to expand the scheme to reward more teachers with mouth-watering prizes. On the teacher licensure exams, the MP observed that some teachers were not happy with the exams and called for a debate to determine if the exams were bringing out better quality teachers or to review it.

Chairman for the event and vice chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Environment, Professor Eric Nyarko-Sampson said teacher shortage was a universal phenomenon across the world with many countries facing the problem, stressing that the situation was not only peculiar to the developing world.

According to him, 69 million teachers, according to data from Teacher Task Force and UNESCO, are needed globally to reach the universal basic education by 2030 with sub-Saharan Africa holding the highest deficit.

He identified teacher attrition as another canker confronting the sector with various factors accounting for the scourge.

Yilo krobo district direct of education Rev Peter Attah Bilson commended teachers whom he said were still putting in their best despite the limited resources at their disposal.

Describing the profession as a call, he said the country needs transformational teachers whose impact will transform children. He was hopeful that, education if given the necessary attention would serve as the panacea for the change the country needs.

The MP also rewarded seven teachers in his MP’s special prizes, with special prizes including TV sets and standing fans.

The seven include Desmond Dzabadey, Odame Rose Asabea, Stephen Dautey, Vincent Tetteh, Bernard Kwabla Padi, Ebenezer Adotey Teye and William Fianko Larbi from various basic and senior high schools across Yilo Krobo.

They were rewarded with TV sets and standing fans.

Over all best teacher for Yilo Krobo, Miss Augustina Nagai in an interview after receiving her award said she felt great and honoured for the honour after sixteen years in her profession.

Miss Nagai who said she deserved the award noted that the feat would motivate her to work harder.