Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, has asked stakeholders to channel the requisite resources towards sustainable development of education in the country.
“There is no greater investment than education,” he noted, adding that it was through this that Ghana could catch up with other developed nations.
“In the pursuance of my primary objective of making education a major platform in our national development agenda, among other set goals, I will continue to support the government to improve the standard of education,” he noted.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who was addressing the Sixth Otumfuo Teachers’ Awards ceremony at the Manhyia Palace, Kumasi, cited the provision of infrastructure, reading and learning materials, as well as scholarships for brilliant-but-needy.
Others include direct services in very deprived areas such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and community cinema through, the Otumfuo Mobile Learning Project.
The Otumfuo Education Fund had in the last ten years given scholarships to 25, 000 pupils and students across the country to pursue their educational careers – the majority of them coming from underprivileged backgrounds.
This year’s awards’ ceremony saw each of the 130 teachers selected from rural and deprived Ghanaian communities, being awarded with a laptop computer and accessories, as well as certificate of honour.
The selection was done by the Ghana Education Service (GES) in collaboration with Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation, organizers of the programme.
A number of corporate organizations came on board as sponsors, donating material items for the success of the programme.
Since its inception in 2011, the awards’ ceremony had seen more than 700 teachers and educational workers receiving honours for their selfless and dedicated services in the educational sector.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu recognized the contributions of the large number of teachers in all parts of the country whose commitment to duty continue to impact positively on the quality of education.
“Teachers selected for the awards, thus represent a fraction of such dedicated and patriotic citizens of the land. All such other teachers are considered Best Teachers,” he observed.
The Asantehene said, more importantly, the focus of his support in the coming years is targeted towards building a sound and solid foundation for higher education through the improvement of basic education