Kumasi: Miss Fuseina Fuseini of the SDA Basic School, at Madina, in the Greater Accra region, on Saturday emerged the national overall best teacher for 2024. For her prize, she received a three-bedroom apartment and an open scholarship to study abroad. Fifteen other teachers were also recognized and awarded at the National Teachers Prize, organized by the National Teaching Council (NTC). Their prizes included saloon and pick-up cars, laptops, motorcycles, scholarships, cash amounts and school in a box. This year's teachers prize awards was held under the theme, ' valuing teacher voices: towards a new social contract for education'. Dr Osei Yaw Adutwum, Minister for Education, speaking at the ceremony described teachers as a bridge upon which people use to get to their destination. There is, therefore, the need to make provisions for them not only through finances but ensuring that they teach in a good environment, he said. He recalled how his basic school teachers played an important role in transformi ng him from nothing to a better person in the country and the world at large. Dr Adutwum said Ghana was the first country in Africa to go back to school after the COVID-19 pandemic, giving other countries the courage to resume school activities. He said the initiative to go back to school would not have been possible without the willingness of teachers. To appreciate teachers for their sacrifices to deliver quality education, the government was on the journey of transforming basic school environment. The Minister pointed out that the devastating environment in some basic schools in the country was causing most parents to withdraw their wards and send them to private schools. The government was undertaking a comprehensive initiative to transform basic schools' environment across the country. Dr Adutwum said as part of efforts to transform the country's educational system, new subjects were being introduced to the senior high school curriculum. Among them are robotics, manufacturing science, biomedical s cience, Spanish, aviation, and aerospace, performing arts, among others. He said textbooks for these subjects had been made available. The Minister urged retired teachers to form an association to help mentor young teachers in active service. Reverend Isaac Owusu, President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, commended the government for the 25 percent salary and 100 percent continuous professional development allowance increment this year. He, however, expressed concern about delays in the payment of tier two pension, delays in upgrading some staff, wrongful placements, outstanding promotions, and payment of allowances to teachers in deprived areas, which needed to be addressed. Miss Fuseina Fuseini, the overall best teacher, thanked the government for recognizing the hard work of teachers and awarding them. Source: Ghana News Agency