An English Language teacher at Mangoase Senior High School (SHS) in the Eastern Region, Abigail Agyeiwaa, yesterday emerged as the Overall Outstanding Teacher for 2026.
For her prize, Ms Agyeiwaa received a three-bedroom house worth GH¢700,000.
Hammond Agyen of Manhean Anglican ‘D’ Primary School in Tema was the first runner-up, while James Kwabo Sekyi also emerged as the second runner-up in the teaching category.
For his prize, Mr Agyen was presented with a brand-new 4x4 pick-up vehicle, while Mr Sekyi took home a brand new saloon car.
At the 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize Award ceremony held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), each award winner was decorated with a sash before being presented with the other awards.
In the Colleges of Education Category, Dr Nathaniel Atikumi was adjudged the winner and took home a 4x4 pick-up vehicle, with the runners-up receiving various cash awards.
Also, Katumi Natogma Attah was adjudged the Best Teacher in Leadership and Administration. He received a saloon car, while the Best Non-Teaching Staff award went to, Fildaus Seidu, who received a saloon car.
Abigail Frimpong Mensah was adjudged the winner of the Private Teacher Category.
The annual event, which recognises the contribution of hardworking and selfless teachers towards improving education in the country through teacher-based innovation, was on the theme: “Empowering Teachers: Architects of the Future.”
It was held by the Ministry of Education, through the National Teaching Council (NTC).
The event was attended by the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu; the Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice-President, Alex Segbefia; Presidential Staffers at the Office of the Vice-President, the Chairman of the Board of the National Teaching Council, Kwame Alorvi; the Registrar of the National Teaching Council, Dr Christian Addai-Poku; the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo; and the Chairman of the Teachers Fund Investment Committee, Kwame Pianim, among other dignitaries.
Vice-President
Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who was the guest of honour, said the government would continue to invest in teacher education by providing in-service training and digital resources to ensure that they were well equipped to prepare young people for the opportunities and demands of the changing world.
This demonstrates that the investments we make in education find expression in the classroom, through the teachers impact on learning and possibilities they created for our children, she said.
The Vice-President said for this year, the government had allocated over GH¢33 billion to the education sector, which came with significant investments in school infrastructure, including completing 30 of e-block projects and constructing new junior high, primary, and kindergarten schools.
Those investments would go with the necessary textbooks and teaching and learning resources.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the government was also pursuing measures to improve access to accommodation for teachers, including through the Determining Humanity initiative, while providing 400, four-unit teacher bungalows to meet the needs of the teaching community.
Already, she said, 99 double-track schools had been converted to single tracks, stressing that the government was committed to completing the exercise to end the double- track system in senior high schools.
Backlog
Vice-President Opoku-Agyemang said more teachers were now progressing up the promotion ladder because of an important reform of removing the long-standing link between promotion and the availability of administrative vacancies.
“Eligible teachers can now progress through their professional ranks without having to wait for a position to become vacant.
As a result, more teachers are progressing through the system, and so is the volume of cases that must be validated, processed, and reflected on the payroll,” she said.
However, she said that this had contributed to delays, which were being addressed to ensure that effective teachers were placed on their proper duties and that outstanding entitlements were paid.
“But in our time, supporting teachers to perform their duties must go beyond resolving administrative and conditions of service issues,” the Vice-President pointed out.
That, she said, also meant investing in the professional growth of teachers and ensuring that they were equipped for the demands of the classroom.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the world in which children were growing was changing rapidly and that artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and changes in the labour markets were reshaping “our labour model, and our education system must remain adaptive”.
“This means ensuring that our teachers themselves have opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills,” she added.
Congrats
“We are all very proud of our children, and we have a lot of them to remember,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said.
“To each one of you, I offer my warmest congratulations.
And I also thank our teachers across the country for the work they do, often in demanding circumstances, and for the role you play in shaping our young people,” the Vice-President added.
Paying arrears
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, said the government had made a commitment, with the support of the Minister of Finance, that arrears would be paid for all promoted teachers from January 2026.
“I have given the Ghana Education Service and the Controller and Accountant General up to 4 p.m. today to validate, at least, not less than 51,000 promoted teachers to be put on their new salary grades, and their arrears paid through a supplementary intervention on or before October 16,” he said.
The remaining, Mr Iddrisu said, would have their arrears and salaries paid at the end of October.
“I give you that pledge in honour, and I'll stand in honour on October 30, on behalf of President Mahama,” he said.
