MTN Ghana Foundation Marks World Teachers Day

MTN Ghana Foundation on the occasion of World Teachers Day congratulates all teachers including beneficiaries of its Teacher Improvement Awards for their contribution to skill development in Ghana.

MTN Ghana Foundation is taking the opportunity to celebrate teachers for the central role they play in providing children with quality education and the positive impact of their contribution in our society.

Commenting on the celebration, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Mr Samuel Koranteng said, “We salute all teachers for the impressive work they do, in and outside the classroom.” He said, “Teachers are critical to the right to equitable and quality education. They are key to us achieving our country’s development goals and other global development agenda such as the sustainable development goals.” ‘We are always ready to commit resources to train and equip teachers with skills needed to promote effective education”.

This year’s World Teachers’ Day is being celebrated under the theme- "The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher.” In line with the theme for this year’s celebration, members of the general public and corporate bodies are being called to support initiatives that help to enhance and train qualified teachers for the classroom.

In the bid to help train qualified teachers, MTN Ghana Foundation has since 2015 awarded scholarship to sixty teachers in first and second cycle public institutions to pursue First or Master degrees through its Teacher Improvement Award programme. The scholarship is targeted at teachers in public institutions who seek to further their studies in Science, Mathematics or English Language. Twenty seven (27) out of this total number of teacher beneficiaries have successfully graduated and returned to the schools they were previously teaching and continue to impact knowledge.

The MTN Ghana Foundation’s support for World Teachers’ Day celebrations is an initiative to support efforts being made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to create awareness of the significant role teachers’ play in education and human development .

Apart from celebrating World Teachers’ Day, MTN Foundation has supported members of the teaching profession in diverse ways over the past 10 years and has taken several initiatives aimed at motivating and empowering teachers. In 2015, MTN Ghana Foundation launched the Teacher Improvement Award Programme, a scholarship scheme to financially assist teachers who wish to upgrade their education at the first Degree or Masters Level.

The Foundation has also supported the National Best Teacher Awards scheme in the past, providing the prize package for the second position from 2007 to 2014.

World Teachers’ Day takes place every year on October 5 and it is celebrated in over 100 countries and spearheaded by the UNESCO.

About The MTN Foundation:
The MTN Ghana Foundation was established in November 2007 as the vehicle to select and implement MTN’s Corporate Social Investments. MTN Ghana Foundation has three areas of focus -Health, Education and Economic Empowerment. From inception to December 2017, the Foundation had undertaken 142 major projects across the country. Notable health projects include: construction of a the Tema General Hospital Maternity block, the Neonatal Center for Tamale Teaching Hospital, refurbishment of the 2^nd floor maternity block of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, construction of a maternity block for Ejisu Government Hospital, and construction of an Emergency Center for Atua Government Hospital.

Education projects undertaken include: construction of a boys dormitory for Akropong School for the Blind, construction of a six-unit classroom block for Kodjonya Millennium School, establishment of 10 MTN ICT Learning Centers in each of Ghana’s 10 regions and the institution of an Innovation Hub at KNUST to promote Telecoms Engineering and Research. Key projects undertaken in Economic Empowerment include: the construction of shea butter processing centers, provision of seed capital and skill training for Women of Tizaa Dini Association of Yendi and the Sung Suma Women Association of Wa.

For more information visit http://www.mtn.com.gh/about-mtn/community/mtn-ghana-foundation .