Vodafone Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), has held the first Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Teachers Awards to recognise exceptional educators across Ghana’s 16 regions.

The award ceremony was held over the weekend at the Academic City University College in Haatso, Accra, and brought together STEM education instructors, the STEM Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service, and other education sector stakeholders.

The teachers were given awards in categories like the Digital Choice Award, the Overall Best in JHS STEM education, the Overall Best in SHS STEM education, and the Dasebre Special Needs Awards.

Eric Asomani Asante, a science and ICT teacher at the Naylor SDA Basic School in Tema, Greater Accra, was named the Overall STEM Teacher of the Year.

Mr Asante was presented with a laptop, a certificate, a plaque, and a Vodafone Ghana data subscription for one year. As the overall winner, he was also appointed the Vodafone Instant Schools Platform’s ambassador.

Solomon Nchor from the Obuasi Senior High School in Kumasi was named the category’s first runner-up, while Ditamina Gambil Emmanuel from the Kongo Junior High School in the Upper East region was named the category’s second runner-up.

The first runner-up received a certificate, a plaque, a tablet, and a modem with a free data subscription for six months, while the second runner-up received a certificate, a plaque, a tablet, and a modem with a free data subscription for three months.

Rev. Amaris Nana Adjei Perbi, the head of the Vodafone Ghana Foundation, told the media that the teachers were rewarded based on an inclusive and rigorous procedure that guaranteed no teacher in any of the regions was left out.

"Vodafone Ghana Foundation, with the support of the Ghana Education Service, combed through all the 16 regions of Ghana to reach all teachers in STEM. It will interest you to know that the process was very exciting and rigorous.

"We went to every corner of the country and we made sure that, through our Instant Schools platform, we engaged with these teachers to ensure they were giving out the best to their students. And today, we climaxed everything with this awards event here at Academic City University College.

"This event was also to round up the celebration of World Teachers’ Day and World Teachers’ Week happening across the world."

"Also, Vodafone Ghana Foundation is also joining Vodafone Ghana in the big picture of celebrating care month. This ties in with the theme of rewarding impactful service," he explained.

On her part, Olivia Serwaa Opare, who is the Director of Science Education at GES, said that Vodafone Ghana's initiative is very commendable and has brought attention to the great work that STEM teachers in Ghana undertake.

"I am excited and grateful to Vodafone Ghana for this initiative and for the vision that they have for the Ghana Education Service. Many thanks to Rev. Amaris, his team, and the board.

"I am also thankful to our own Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwah and the Deputy Director-General, Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, for openly accepting the vision that the Vodafone Ghana Foundation had."

Eric Asomani, the overall winner of the awards, talked to the media about how happy he was to win and why he thought he deserved to win.

He said: "It is a challenge in Ghana for ICT teachers to teach certain internet-related topics because most of our schools do not have internet connectivity or computer labs.

"But I have been able to design a static website which enables me to teach all the internet-related topics, and I have shared it with thousands of teachers I have trained in scratch coding and HTML coding."