They received the awards for their dedication, innovation and passion which inspired learning.

The teachers were awarded at the 2023 Afrifa-Mensah Teacher Prize Programme held in Accra last Friday.

It aimed at recognising and celebrating the exceptional contributions of teachers in the Ga West municipality.

It was on the theme: “Thriving on transformation: Celebrating education to champion innovation.”

Awardees

Five awardees were teachers, junior high and senior high school students.

Each of them was presented with a certificate, a medal and refrigerator for their outstanding performance.

Four others, including a head teacher, two officials from the municipal education directorate and a driver received 32-inch TV each, as special awards for their contributions to improving education in the municipality.

The overall outstanding teacher went to Elvis Doh Mottey, a science teacher at the Ayikai Doblo M/A Basic School 1 for his excellence in teaching practice, knowledge and student engagement and for going beyond the classroom to build relationships with students, families and the wider community.

He received a certificate, a chest freezer and a medal.

Teacher awards

The Member of Parliament for Amasaman, Akwasi Owusu Afrifa-Mensa, who outlined the reason for instituting the awards, said it was to celebrate all the workers of the educational fraternity.

He quickly added that although he would not be in parliament from January 2025, he expressed the belief that his successor would continue to recognise the efforts of hardworking teachers. 

He mentioned that he furnished the Home Economic Departments of Adjen-kotoku and Akramaman senior high schools, secured full scholarship for 20 girls to study ICT at OpenLabs (NIIT) and supported hundreds of students with fees in tertiary institutions.

He called for the need to create a society where every child would have access to quality education, where educators were empowered to make a difference, and where the pursuit of knowledge and innovation knew no bounds.

He congratulated the winners and said their contributions were an inspiration to all.

Be innovative

The former Chief of Party, USAID LEARNING, Dr Mama Laryea, said with the advancements in technology and the need for new skills in the workforce, the traditional model of education alone did not work anymore.

In order for educators to truly make a difference, she said, they must embrace being innovators. 

“Just as we encourage our students to explore new ideas, we must be willing to step out of our comfort zones, try new teaching strategies and embrace emerging technologies.

By becoming lifelong learners ourselves, we will inspire our students to do the same,” she said.

Dr Laryea stated that the power of technology in education was by leveraging tools such as social media, virtual reality and online platforms to create learning opportunities that were once unimaginable. 

Meanwhile, she called for the country’s education system to make available resources and address concerns of educators for them to thrive in transformation using innovation.

The Ga West Municipal Director of Education, Victor Tawiah, commended teachers for their great work and urged them to be motivated to champion innovation.

He indicated that he had asked all 29 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies under his jurisdiction to embark on rewarding teachers for their good work done.

He said teachers’ rewards were actually here on earth and not in heaven as the adage goes.