Bawumia pledges teachers’ needs, educational resources  

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has given an assurance that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government will continue to provide the needed resources for the development of education in the country.

That he attributed to the importance it attached to education which trained the critical manpower needed for the various facets of the economy.

Event 

Dr Bawumia gave the assurance last Thursday, in an address read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of TVET, Professor Kingsley Nyarko, at the opening of a three-day Ghana Teacher Prize currently ongoing in Kumasi.

The event, on the theme:  “Valuing Teachers Voice: Towards a New Social Contract for Education”,  will be climaxed today with the presentation of awards to some hardworking and deserving teachers across the country.

“As we move towards a new social contract for education, we recognise the importance of teacher voices. Your insights, feedback and innovative ideas will continue to shape the digital agenda. The government is committed to providing you with the necessary support to thrive in this new environment, ensuring that you remain at the centre of our educational reforms,” he emphasised.

The Vice-President indicated that the task of reimaging the education system was not solely about new policies or infrastructural improvements, but also about empowering teachers and ensuring that their voices shaped the future of learning.

Digital Agenda 

He recounted how the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government had embarked on a transformational digital agenda, which placed  technology at the heart of the nation’s educational reforms, adding that the agenda was designed to ensure that every Ghanaian student, irrespective of geographical location, had access to quality education.

The Vice- President spent much time enumerating the various interventions and policies rolled out by the Nana Addo-led government with the view to transforming the nation through education.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in an address read on his behalf by the Apagyahene, Nana Owusu Afriyie IV, praised the NTC , GES, among other institutions, which were helping to deliver quality education in the country.

He described the role of professional development as very critical to education delivery, and urged all to support efforts to ensure that teachers remained  professional and also acquired the required skills and knowledge for their effective operations as teachers.

The Asantehene called for the issue of counselling in schools to be looked at again since its role in the education and training of the youth was very necessary towards the development of the country.

Ghana Teacher Licensure critical 

The Registrar of the National Teaching Council, Dr Christian Addai-Poku, in his welcome address, stated that the policies and practices it had put in place, were among the best in the world and were helping to advance the teaching profession in the country.

“Let no one whittle down the standards and permit cheap entry requirements into the profession. Our requirements should remain as rigorous as those of doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, engineers and others,” he said.

“The Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination remains one of the best quality assurance measures to ensure that only those fit for purpose get engaged in our schools. It will be sad to see the licensure examination sacrificed on the altar of politics,” Dr Addai-Poku said.