Vice President presents the Most Outstanding Teacher Prize Award for 2019

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Saturday presented the 2019 Most Outstanding Teacher Prize Award to Ms Sabina Dosu of St. Dominic's R/C Junior High School in the Denkyembour District of the Eastern Region.

For her prize, she received a cheque of GHC 180,000 for the construction of a three-bedroom house and other assorted items.

The awards saw three female teachers sweeping all the major awards on the offer at this year's edition of the Ghana Teacher Prize ceremony, held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi.

Ms Philippa Darko of State Experimental School, Kumasi was the First Runner-Up and drove home a brand new 4x4 Pick-up vehicle, while Ms Christiana Koperebarah Yeyeh of the Yumba Special School for the Intellectually Disabled, Tamale, drove away a brand-new saloon car for emerging the Second Runner-Up.

Vice President Bawumia, who was the Guest of Honour, reiterated Government’s commitment to resource and improve the lives of teachers.

“The reintroduction of the Teacher Trainees Allowance as a form of motivation in building this noble profession, and the introduction of the teacher professionalism process which will give our teachers the global recognition they deserve, are all strategic efforts made by the NPP government to elevate the status-quo of the Ghanaian teacher,” Dr Bawumia said

He lauded the contribution of teachers towards national development saying: "It is often said that if you can read, thank a teacher".

"That is indeed true. But let me add this: ‘if you can think, thank a teacher’. I say this because our teachers do not just teach us to read and to do multiplication tables.

They challenge and inspire us, help us to explore and maximize our abilities and talents, and bring out the potential in us.

“Indeed, beyond the classroom, teachers are the pillar of many of our communities, doubling up in times past as the chief letter writer, the letter reader, the interpreter, the catechist and the counselor whose words carry their weight in gold," he said.

The Vice President saluted all gallant teachers, who worked under challenging conditions, saying that the nation is grateful for their meritorious services.

He challenged teachers to work harder and compete on a global scale, recalling that for the first time, Ghana had a representative as part of the top fifty finalists of the Global Teacher Prize coming from the Basic School in the person of Mr Robert Gariba.

“This is a clear demonstration of the fact that our decision to re-align the Best Teacher Awards with the Global Teacher Prize has borne ample fruit, and I look forward not only to Ghana making an appearance at future global shortlists of the prize, but clinching the ultimate prize.”

The 2019 Ghana Teacher Prize was held under the theme: “Young Teachers: The Future Of The Profession”.