Schools under trees in 21st century is unacceptable -Asantehene
From Issah Alhassan, Kumasi
THE ASANTEHENE, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has reiterated his call on Ghanaian leaders to invest heavily in the educational sector, in order to improve the human resource capacity of the country.
Bewailing what he described as leadership failure, the Ashanti King said leaders must avoid paying lip services to improving education, especially providing better incentives for teachers, and ensuring that realistic policies are implemented to achieve the desired results.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was particularly worried about the unfortunate phenomenon of schools under trees, stressing “the situation is a serious indictment on the integrity of Ghana and its citizens that in this 21st Century, we continue to experience children going to school under trees.”
The concerns of the Ashanti overlord were contained in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief of Nsenie, Nana Kwakye Sarkodie, at this year’s National Best Teacher Awards organized at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi.
The Asantehene, whose initiated the Otumfuo Education Fund and the Otumfuo Charity Foundation, had over the years championed the cause of education in the country, and said the motivation of teachers was very crucial if Ghana would succeed in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals under education.
He, therefore, urged government and other stakeholders to adopt comprehensive measures that will ensure that teachers were adequately motivated to yield the maximum outputs.
This year’s awards, the 18th edition, was under the theme: “Take a stand for teachers”, took a low key celebration as the usual high patronage that often characterized the occasion was not witnessed.
A total of 49 teachers across the country were honoured for their commitment and dedicated services with the overall prize going to Mrs. Patricia Ampofowaah Boso, a 41-year-old radio and electronic tutor at the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI).
Eighty-two teachers and other non-teaching staff also received various awards for their diverse contributions to the development of education in the country.
The Chairman of the Ghana Education Service Council and Omanhene of Acherensua Traditional Council, Prof. Agyewodin Adu Gyamfi, suggested to the Ministry of Education to decentralize the award scheme and concentrate much at the district level so that more teachers can be recognized and awarded.
The Vice President, His Excellency, Mr. Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah also witnessed the occasion.
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