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09.05.2012 Education

'Don't See Postings To Deprived Areas As Punishment'

By Kwame Asare Boadu - Daily Graphic
The Asantehene congratulating Ms Doris Kwablah of Manya Yoyim in Eastern region after she had received her awardThe Asantehene congratulating Ms Doris Kwablah of Manya Yoyim in Eastern region after she had received her award
09.05.2012 LISTEN

The Asantehene congratulating Ms Doris Kwablah of Manya Yoyim in Eastern region after she had received her award The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has asked teachers not to see postings to deprived areas as punishment.

He said it was even an honour for teachers to serve in those areas because they would be contributing significantly to moulding the future of children who, otherwise, would have had their hidden talents go waste.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu was speaking at the second Otumfuo Teachers Awards designed for teachers working in deprived communities of the country.

This year’s awards saw 100 teachers, 10 from each of the regions, receiving honours for excelling in their various fields last year.

Each of them was presented with a 24-inch television set, solar-powered lamps, Wellington boots, machetes, a wall clock, an undisclosed amount of money and a certificate.

Some of the communities where the teachers came from are Twifu Kyebi and Nuanua No 2 in the Central Region; Terhey and Tokpo in the Greater Accra Region; Temebaabi and Fahiakobo in the Ashanti Region; Kokosua and Asuoti in the Brong Ahafo Region; Wudese and Koru in the Volta Region; Dalun and Tong in the Northern Region and Kpalinye and Naame in the Upper West Region.

Others are Abrenya and Amenam in the Eastern Region, Abotarye and Swanzy in the Western Region and Nakoli and Zerogo in the Upper East Region.

Special committees constituted by the various regional education directorates did the selection of the award winners.

Also rewarded were the 10 regional directors of education.

Organised by the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation, the awards, the first of which recognised 200 teachers and educational administrators across the country last year, are used to encourage teachers to stay and work in the deprived areas where their services are needed most.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu stressed the notable role teachers played in national development and said there was the need for them to be recognised and rewarded appropriately.

“For me and the entire Asanteman, we will never forget you because your work is worth recognising,” he stressed.

He noted that Ghanaians were one people and that there would be no discrimination whatsoever in any future awards initiated by Manhyia.

Noting that the items presented to the award winners were “nothing” in view of the enormity of the work they were doing in the most difficult parts of the country, the Asantehene nevertheless was convinced that it would spur them on to work even harder in the years ahead.

He pointed out that a nation that forgot its teachers could not progress, adding that any nation that wanted to see progress could best count on its teachers to achieve that objective.

He admitted that the salaries and the conditions of service of teachers were nothing to write home about but noted that money could not be everything for anyone who wanted to work for the progress of his or her nation.

While commending the award winners for excelling in their various areas, he challenged others to also work hard to receive recognition next year.

The Executive Director of the Otumfuo Charity Foundation, Dr Agyarko Poku, said the process of selecting the award winners had been very transparent and that “all who won rightly deserved the award”.

He was confident that the awards would grow from year to year, especially as Otumfuo wanted to see great improvement in the educational development of Ghana.

He said the charity fund had awarded thousands of scholarships to needy, brilliant students from not only the Ashanti Region but other regions as well.

“This is what national development is all about because without the development of the human resource, we will only be playing to the gallery,” he stressed.

The Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Mrs Ernestina Afosah Anim, who spoke on behalf of the awardees, thanked Otumfuo for the “wonderful” gesture.

She said the Asantehene had proved to be a father for all, adding, “We will never forget what has happened in our lives today.”

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