Government to create enabling environment for quality education- Veep

Accra, Oct 4, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Monday gave the assurance that government would create an enabling environment that would promote quality in all the stages of education. He said government had so far increased Capitation Grant, provided textbooks and school uniforms to deprived children free of charge and would soon step up in the provision of infrastructure, teaching materials and improve on human resources as a booster to the teaching profession.

Vice President Mahama gave this assurance when the 2010 award winners of the National Teachers' Award Ceremony slated for Tuesday, October 5, called on him at the Osu Castle. A total of 84 teachers would be awarded in 17 categories in the 16th Annual National Teachers Award ceremony.

The Vice President appealed to Ghana Education Service to consider posting qualified teachers to the rural areas as most of those schools depended on only pupil teachers, a situation he described as 'not good enough to develop them to become useful citizens.' He appealed to chiefs and community leaders to treat teachers well to encourage them to perform their roles and responsibilities as professional teachers.

Mr. Alex Tetteh-Enyo, Minister of Education, announced that the winner would receive GHC 60, 000.00 to put up a house at a place of his or her choice with a laptop and other computers and accessories for his or her school.

He said the first runner-up would also receive a double-cabin Pick-up, a laptop computer and other computers and accessories for the school, while the second runner-up would receive a saloon car, Laptop computer and other computers for the school.

Mr. Tetteh-Enyo said the progress of every nation depended on the quality of teachers available and called on all donor agencies to consider sponsoring the activities of teachers to further improve on the quality of teaching in the country.