Teachers deserve recognition -Fosuaba

The Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Sir Fosuaba Akwasi Mensah Banahene, has called for greater respect and recognition, for teachers who assist in training society to acquire skills devoid of morality.

Speaking at the 30th Anniversary celebration and Speech and Prize-giving Day of the St. James Seminary and Senior High School in Sunyani, Sir Fosuaba Banahene noted that teachers were great people, but unfortunately, were not paid very well, with the reason that a large part of their wages awaited them in Heaven.

“If we are unable to pay them adequately, we should not also deny them of the respect and recognition they deserve,” he stressed.

He noted that moral training for the youth had become crucial in present press-button society, where higher intellectual aptitude was fast being misdirected against the common good, whilst parents, teachers, churches and government appear to be helpless to do anything about it.

Sir Fosuaba Banahene cited that some academicians tend to use their great minds to promote ends, which are rapidly moving away from what is Godly, with their ideas and fast-thinking seeping into the mentality of students.

He moaned, “We certainly have to act concretely now, if we are to save our society from eventually collapsing under the weight of its own sinfulness.”

According to him, the situation posed a big challenge to the teacher, since the parent who was to be the teacher's collaborator in educating the student, had almost reneged on the responsibilities, and no more exercised control over the child, adding that in some homes it was the children who dictated the standards of conduct.

The GETFund Administrator noted that because of the “rat-race” culture of modern times, parents no longer had time to attend to their children, and have pushed their responsibilities onto the teacher, making the teacher a surrogate-parent, and they tend to unashamedly blame the teacher, when things go wrong with the student's behaviour or ability.

He said the irony of the situation was that, the same parent is quick to take the credit when the child excels, and emerges a successful person in society.

Sir Fosuaba Banahene said the time had come for parents to assume their dutiful role as the “prime educators” of their children, especially in the area of moral education, and also increase their level of collaboration with the teacher towards the education of their children, stressing that the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) had a strong case without any frustration.

According to him, when it comes to discussing the incidence of morality in education, the intervention of modern tools of communication in the process of imparting knowledge was a great concern, saying those tools impart knowledge alright, but they do not educate.

The GETFund Administrator said society was witnessing a phenomenon, where social communications technology was fast outpacing the parent and the teacher in the act of imparting knowledge to students.

He explained that the emergence of the television and the video camera, had facilitated a viable source for seeking information and knowledge, but they had unfortunately been grossly abused, to the extent that they now tend to work against wholesome education.

The internet, which is a super-information highway, has even worsened the situation, as it conspires with the television to “mis-educate” the young people, as many students use the facilities not as source of useful knowledge, but as a source of the inculcation, consciously or unconsciously, of immoral habits and practices, Sir Fosuaba Banahene noted.

He, however, called on teachers to portray in their own behaviour the desired change, in their attempt as agents to change deviant behaviours, adding if teachers do not act what they preach, they hardly would make an impact on the students.

Sir Fosuaba Banahene said teachers, parents, administrators and leaders of society, have a duty to help mould the student into human being of sound intellectual ability with moral principles.

He promised St. James Seminary Senior High School, a modern administration block by the GETFund, as their 30th birthday gift.