The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), after President Akufo-Addo for the 5th time refused to attend the Ghana Teacher Prize event held annually on October 5 has said that sends a bad signal to teachers in the country.
Ms Philippa Larsen, the President of GNAT speaking on behalf of Teacher Unions at the ceremony monitored by EducationWeb said, teachers like Akufo-Addo very much however they are not cool with his usual absenteeism.
“We know our President love us soo much and we also love His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo but unfortunately this is the 5th time we have missed him in our celebration, we are not happy at all,” She stated.
Ms Larsen urged President Nana Akufo-Addo who doubles as the special guest of honour for the Ghana Teacher Prize (GTP) to the 2022 academic year be present at the ceremony to celebrate the joyous moment with the teachers.
She on behalf of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), commended the staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES) adjudged the most outstanding teachers for the 2021 academic year for their achievement.
This year’s prize event held in Sunyani was on the theme: “Teachers wanted: Reclaiming teaching and learning for human-centred recovery” with His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo as the special guest of honour.
The three-day GTP was organized from October 3 to 5 each year. The first 2 days were used for the symposium and exhibition, and the last day (world teachers’ day) is the climax and Ghana’s President is always the guest of honour.
Celebrated since 1995 as Best Teacher Award and rebranded to Ghana Teacher Prize (GTP), this is the 4th edition of the annual ceremony to honour the most outstanding teachers to confirm to Global Teacher Prize which started in 2014.
44-year-old Ebenezer Kojo Otoo, a Visual Art teacher at the Winneba Senior High School in the Central Region Tuesday, October 5, 2021, won the 2021 Ghana Teacher Prize, an award to honour the most outstanding teachers.
The 44-year-old who was among 19 other teaching and non-teaching staff of the Ghana Education Service shortlisted for the prize was presented with a cheque of GH¢250,000, which is to be used to construct a three-bedroom house.
The first runner up, Reverend Sister Justinta Kwakyewaa of the Saint Francis Senior High and Technical School (SHTS) in the Birim Central in the Eastern Region took away a double-cabin pickup vehicle as her prize.
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The second runner up, a teacher from the Awutu Swinton Senior High School (SHS) in the Central Region for his award was given a brand new saloon car.