Twenty teachers, staff in Awutu-Senya District GES honoured for excellence

Twenty teaching and non-teaching staff of public and private schools in the Awutu-Senya District have been honoured for their dedication and hard work towards the growth of education in the area.

Each of the awardees received a 32-inch television set as their prize.

The ceremony, dubbed “Teachers Prize Day,” was organised by the Awutu-Senya District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), under the theme: “Elevating the Status of Teachers for Quality Education.”

The awards, initiated by Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, Member of Parliament for Awutu-Senya West Constituency, in partnership with Kalala Eghan, the District Chief Executive, were aimed at recognising outstanding teachers in both public and private schools.

Teachers were evaluated based on classroom performance, innovation, and community impact.

According to the planning committee, eligibility was open to both teaching and non-teaching staff in public and private schools with a minimum of five years of service in the district, later reduced to three years.

At the end of the process, 20 staff members from pre-primary, primary, junior high, and senior high schools, as well as the District Education Directorate, were selected for the award.

Tetteh-Agbotui, who is also Deputy Minister for Works, Housing, and Natural Resources, expressed gratitude to teachers in the district for their contribution to education.

“During my first time as MP, I wanted to institute the teachers’ awards but could not; however, God has now opened the way to celebrate outstanding teachers for 2025 for their efforts, resilience, and support to education in the district,” she said.

She encouraged teachers to periodically engage in self-introspection and assess their performance to remain academically productive and become patriotic, responsible citizens.

She assured that her office would continue to support education by providing the necessary tools, infrastructure, and materials to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning.

Tetteh-Agbotui congratulated the awardees for their dedication to improving education in the area, describing their efforts as exemplary and commendable.

She also urged all teachers to continue working hard to earn recognition and appreciation.

The District Chief Executive, Kalala Eghan, noted that elevating the status of teachers for quality education reminded society of a simple truth: quality education cannot be achieved when teachers struggle with low morale, poor resources, and little recognition.

He explained that when he assumed office, he observed that performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination had dropped from 85 percent in 2023 to 79 percent in 2024.

A committee was therefore established, and one of its recommendations was that teachers be motivated, while periodic in-service training be organised for them.

He added that the MP and the Assembly had since organised such training programmes for teachers in the district and also introduced the Teachers’ Prize Day to motivate them and help improve BECE performance in the area.