Ghana teacher prize: Awarding excellence, professionalism and dedication

Those who have an impact on the youth of society have the power to change and transform lives and this confirms the significance of teachers in building positive and inspired future generations.

Teachers are the backbone of our society as they serve as the power of education to today's youth, thereby giving them the possibility for a better and brighter future. The astronomical inputs of teachers in the moulding of character and personality cannot be overlooked and it is for this reason, teachers worldwide are religiously celebrated and acknowledged for their efforts.

With the influence that teachers have over our lives, recognizing teacher accomplishments is a necessity. Teacher recognition is essential as it validates and empowers teachers. It serves as an enabler for teachers to gain a sense of worth. An award system is certainly useful for teachers' growth and productivity.

The Ghana Teacher Prize

The Ghana Teacher Prize which was instituted in 1994 as “Best Teacher Awards” but was recommissioned in 2018 and renamed, “Ghana Teacher Prize” (GTP) is one spectacular event aimed at motivating teachers for higher performance and also boosting the respect for the profession. It is a three-day event which commences from the 3rd to the 5th of October annually. Symposium and exhibitions are organised on the first two days and the grand durbar is on the last day, 5th October (world teachers’ day)

Over the years, a plethora of deserving teachers has won several prizes ranging from houses, cars, scholarship opportunities, financial rewards etc.
For this year, Dr Christian Addai-Poku, Registrar of the National Teaching Council, announced the introduction of a new category, the 'Teacher in Leadership' award to acknowledge the critical role of teachers in educational leadership and administration.

In all, the Most Outstanding Teacher will be awarded a 3-bedroom apartment, with the first runner-up getting a 4x4 pickup vehicle and the Second Runner-up, a Saloon Car. Again, The Most Outstanding Teacher in Leadership gets a saloon car, First Runner-up gets a cash prize, Second Runner-up gets a cash prize.
For the Non-teaching category, the Best Non-teaching Staff will be awarded a car, First Runner-up gets a cash prize, and the Second Runner-up also gets a cash prize.

As part of the package for the 2022 Ghana Teacher prize, GETFund, a headline sponsor has pledged to award the Most Outstanding Teacher a scholarship to pursue a master’s or PhD programme abroad and the other 22 finalists will receive scholarships to pursue a degree or master’s or a PhD programme in Ghana

This year’s Ghana Teacher Prize, under the theme "Transformation of Education begins with the teacher" will have a two-day symposium and exhibition organized at Modern City Hotel and the grand durbar at the Great Hall of University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale from 3rd to 5th October 2022.

In a nutshell, Teachers play a vital role in nation-building and there is no contention about the positive contributions of teachers to human capital development globally, thus events centred on awarding and celebrating teachers help to foster continued engagement and validation.