Evans Odei's achievement makes us very proud
Since 2018 when the Best Teacher Awards were renamed the Ghana Teacher Prize to conform with international standard, a Ghanaian has made it to the top 50 Global Teacher Prize list three times.
First, it was Professor Anku Sitsofe, a mathematician, in 2018, then Mr Robert Gariba, a Special Education Teacher of the Richard Akwei Memorial School in Accra in 2019, and now Mr Evans Odei, another mathematician who teaches at Achimota School in Accra.
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The significant thing about this year's achievement is that out of the over 800,000 entries, Mr Odei, did not only make it to the top so list; he went a step closer to the $1 million prize.
Even though Mr Odei missed out on the ultimate, he is currently one of the top 10 best teachers in the world.
Mr Odei has successfully adopted innovative technology, such as the use of animation and objects, as well as PowerPoint presentations, to teach mathematics.
Indeed, he has demystified the once and still dreaded subject for many students by adopting an activity-based approach to teach mathematics to make it likable among his students and those who chance upon his self-recorded video, which he has uploaded for free online tuition.
Mr Odei was the only African who made to the top 10 contenders of the Global Teacher Prize list for 2021 and the first-ever Ghanaian to attain such a feat.
The Daily Graphic cannot but agree with the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, when he remarked that Ghana was one of the countries in the world with the best and committed teachers.
Surely, the three are among the hardworking and committed teachers in the country who have dedicated their lives to ensure that Ghana produces the best human capital needed for the accelerated development of the country. Definitely, there are other teachers who have also chalked up successes at various levels that we have not been able to cover.
However, one other successful story worth mentioning concerns the Head of the Languages Department of the Presbyterian Boys' SHS (PRESEC), Ms Augusta Lartey-Young.
In 2019,while we were celebrating Mr Gariba for making the Global Teacher Prize, Ms Lartey-Young was named among the top three teachers at the 2019 African Union (AU) Continental Teacher Awards.
The AU Continental Teacher Awards are aimed at demonstrating respect for teachers and the teaching profession by encouraging and celebrating committed teachers in Africa.
As part of the honour,Ms Augusta Lartey-Young was awarded a cash prize of 310,000.
Even though the ultimate prize went to a US teacher, Keishia Thorpe, who has opened up college education for low-income, first-generation American, immigrant and refugee students,we are proud of Mr Odei's achievement and those of the other previous two contestants for lifting the flag of Ghana higher and putting the country on the global map.
We use this opportunity to congratulate all teachers in the country on their show of professionalism.
Ayekoo! teachers; we are proud of you.