Nation’s progress rest with disciplined and competent teachers – De-Souza

Mrs Elizabeth Amekuetse de-Souza, Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has observed that the progress of a nation rested with the axis of disciplined and competent teachers.

For this reason, she said, pupils and students who would take up the mantle of leadership in future were always deeply affected by the love, affection, character, and moral commitment of teachers.

Mrs de-Souza made the observation at the 2012 Best Teacher/Worker Awards ceremony organised by the Tema Metro Directorate of Education in Tema on the theme; “Take up Stand for Teachers.”

In all, 25 teaching and non-teaching staff of the Metro Education Directorate were awarded for their hard work and devotion to duty.

The Regional Education Director pointed out that a good and visionary teacher could play an important role in shaping the future of his pupils and students, while an incompetent teacher was not only a bad individual but also an embodiment of a corruption and incompetence.

She urged teachers to work hard in order to win the confidence of society by exhibiting a high sense of commitment, dedication, hard work and discipline at all times.

Mrs De-Souza asked them to eschew lateness, absenteeism and malingering.

She charged parents and guardians to bring up their children in congenial and disciplined environment by teaching the right societal values to help transform them into balanced adults.

Mrs De-Souza further charged them to provide their wards with the basic necessities of education to assist them in their studies and to ensure that the children were regular and punctual at school.

“As parents and guardians we should take a firm stand to support the education of our children, so that the work load on teachers becomes light,” the Regional Educational Director stressed.

She commended the award winners for their meritorious service and hoped they would serve as role-models for their colleagues to help raise the standard of teaching and learning.

Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and rural Development said the teacher was the centre stage of education without whose input there could not be any meaningful development.

He stressed the need to motive teachers saying, well motivated teachers always ensure that their academic curricula were carried to their logical conclusion.

“Our development as a nation cannot be complete without teachers,” he emphasised.

Mr. Jacob Kwabla Adorkor, Acting Director of the Tema Ports who stood in for the Director of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), said as invaluable assets to the nation, it was a step in the right direction to honour hard working and deserving teachers.

He said the GPHA cherishes the education of children and for this reason the Authority is also proud to be associated to activities related to education.

Mr. Adorkor said the GPHA has supported many schools within the Ports catchment area as part of its corporate social responsibility by assisting in constructing a computer laboratory for the Community 5 Number One Basic School and providing the school with computers.

He was optimistic that the various awards would motivate and inspire other teachers to be more effective and efficient in their unending services to mother Ghana.

Mr. Kempes Papa Nii Ofosuware, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive said the primary objective of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly interventions in education within the metropolis such as the annual scholarship awards for brilliant but needy children was to ensure that students from poor homes were enabled to develop their intellectual potentials to the fullest.

He warned parents who keep their wards outside the classrooms to assist them at their workplaces to the detriment of their studies, to refrain from that bad practice.

Osongaa Nii Adjei Kraku, Tema Mantse who chaired the function, commended the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service for sustaining the Best Teacher/Worker Award scheme since 1995 to motivate teachers for higher performance in order to restore the respect in the teaching profession.