National Best Teacher advocates attention for special educators

Takoradi, Oct. 7, GNA — Mr. Joshua Abankwa Otu, 2011 National Best Teacher, has appealed to the government to give special attention to teachers teaching in special and intellectual disabled schools in the country.

He said it was discouraging for special educators to be paid GH?2.00 monthly allowance, which often came quarterly, adding “it is a disincentive teaching in such schools due to lack of motivation”.

Mr. Otu expressed these sentiments in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after he was declared the overall best teacher at this year’s National Best Teacher Awards held in Takoradi on Wednesday.

Mr. Otu, who teaches at the Garden City Special School for Intellectual Disabled in Kumasi, as a gymnasium instructor, said it was challenging teaching in those institutions.

He said in special schools, each disabled child had a unique problem and one needed to be patient, committed and dedicated in helping them.

Mr. Otu said those children were also human beings and we should not shun them rather society must embrace and give them all the necessary support and love in order to integrate them into the society.

The overall best teacher, who holds a first degree in Special Education from the University of Winneba, said government must improve infrastructure in special schools to ensure quality teaching and learning.

He said the Garden City Special School in Kumasi had about 15 pupils in one classroom with one attendant and added that it was worrying since some of the disabled children were difficult to handle.

“Some of the children don’t stay at one place and moving here and there, jumping over tables and chairs which make it difficult for one attendant to control them,” he lamented.

He said more special educators should be trained in the country to ensure quality teaching and learning in special and interuc disabled schools.