The National Teaching Council (NTC) on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, launched the 2021 Ghana Teacher Prize at the Dr. Christian Addai-Poku Conference Hall located at the NAGRAT Lyceum in the central business district of Accra.
The launch was held under the theme – Teachers wanted: reclaiming teaching and learning for human-centered recovery.
The Ghana Teacher Prize is an initiative by the Ministry of Education through the National Teaching Council to recognize the contributions of hardworking and selfless teachers and educational workers towards teacher motivation and improvement of education in the country as a whole. The occasion underlines the importance of the teacher in the development of the country hence, the organization of the awards to reward teachers and educational workers who have made outstanding contributions to the profession. The awards ceremony also seeks to honour well-deserving teachers for their exemplary performance and ground-breaking works that have contributed to transforming the lives of students under their care, the schools, and the community around them.
The Registrar of the National Teaching Council, Dr. Christian Addai-Poku revealed that this year’s Ghana Teacher Prize will be held in Sunyani. He indicated that the program will commence on 3rd October 2021, and climaxes with the awards ceremony for deserving teachers on Tuesday 5th October 2021.
The top 20 Ghana Teacher Prize nominees were out-doored comprising of 15 nominees from the teaching category and 5 nominees from the non-teaching category.
The Registrar applauded teachers for the critical roles they play in our society. “There has never been a time like this in decades when learners, parents, and the entire society have desperately craved their teachers. The pandemic has brought to the fore the critical role of teachers in our society, and this is what this year’s Teacher Prize seeks to highlight”, he noted.
The Registrar further indicated that it is in pursuance of that recognition that the 5th of October each year is set aside to celebrate the extensive contributions of teachers in our society. He recounted that since 1995 Ghana has chosen to celebrate the day in a very elaborate manner. It starts with a two-day symposium and exhibition on some extraordinary works of teachers and their learners. It is then climaxed on the 5th of October with a national durbar where some deserving teachers are awarded for their extraordinary performances.
Several high profiled dignitaries including the Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour; the Chief Director at the Ministry, Mr. Benjamin K. Gyasi; the Director-General for the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa; the past Board Chair of the National Teaching who doubles as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Prof. Eric Nyarko Sampson, leaders of NAGRAT and GNAT among others, graced the occasion.
Also present were officials from SIC Life, Prudential Bank, Databank, and other corporate bodies who are key sponsors of the Ghana Teacher Prize.
Source: NTC | News Desk, CoEWJ