SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE DEPUTY REGISTRAR OF THE NATIONAL TEACHING COUNCIL (NTC) ON BEHALF OF THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AT THE “KNOW THYSELF” BOOK LAUNCH
Protocols
Madam Chairperson, permit me to stand on the already established protocols as I give my address at this august occasion.
I bring you very warm greetings from the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum who would have loved to be here himself but has to attend to other equally important assignments as he prepares for Ghana’s 65th Independence parade with the President of the Republic of Ghana, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo at Cape Coast. On this note, on behalf of the Minister for Education, I wish you all a happy 65th independence day celebration ahead of time.
Today’s book launch is such a unique one because the author of the book has such a vast experience spanning from his days as teacher, Head Teacher, School Consultant in the United Kingdom, Nigeria and Ghana. It is rare to see people with these vast experiences willing to share their knowledge and skills through writing. We are grateful to you for towing this path to share your experiences with us.
Madam Chairperson, I would like to start my address by looking at the passion and calling of a teacher. Many teachers have entered the teaching profession with excitement for the job but do not always have control of the needed skills or characteristics to be effective educators. Some teacher skills can be honed, but most skills must already be there to be a successful teacher.
Passion is a characteristic that teachers and students frequently ranked among the top 10 required skills, and has been validated as one of the most important characteristics.
In other parts of the world, in hiring teachers for a school, they always look for a knowledgeable candidate who shows passion for the job. Research is needed to determine if passion can be taught to teachers. If it is determined that passion can be taught, then passionate teaching may be developed into a teaching pedagogy. This would be invaluable for young teachers entering the profession and could be extremely important in the professional development of expert teachers. Madam Chairperson, education in every sense is one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital. Education enriches people’s understanding of themselves and world.
It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social benefits to individuals and society. Education raises people’s productivity, creativity, promotes entrepreneurship and technological advances. Furthermore, education plays a very crucial role in securing economic and social progress and improving income distribution.
Before I take my seat, Madam Chairperson, I wish to also use this medium to admonish our teachers to give out their very best in training and impacting knowledge unto our younger generation. Government under the leadership of H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is transforming the educational system in Ghana with all the necessary support and inputs. While we count on the support of government, I call on all of us to give out our utmost best for the future of our motherland.
Thank you.