IERIS and Teacher Unions Celebrate World Teachers’ Day at UEW
The Institute for Educational Research and Innovation Studies (IERIS) of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) commemorated the 2025 World Teachers’ Day on Wednesday, 5th November 2025, at the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre.
The celebration brought together educationists, teacher union representatives, policymakers, and researchers to honour the invaluable contributions of teachers to national development. It was organised in collaboration with Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions in Effutu and the surrounding districts of the Ghana Education Service.
Held under the theme “Uplifting the Status of Teachers to Ensure Quality Education and Sustained Development in Ghana,” the event highlighted the vital role teachers play in shaping the nation’s future through knowledge sharing, mentorship and moral guidance.
Chairperson of the event, Mr. Ben Manya, Deputy Registrar in charge of General Services at the National Teaching Council (NTC), described the occasion not merely as a celebration but as a reaffirmation of society’s collective commitment to the men and women whose dedication moulds generations. “Every successful individual begins their journey in the hands of a teacher,” he noted, adding that teaching is more than a job; it is a calling that demands patience, creativity, empathy and resilience.
While acknowledging the challenges teachers face including limited resources and inadequate recognition, Mr. Manya called for renewed societal and institutional support for educators. He urged government, parents and the private sector to invest in teachers, reminding all that “investing in teachers is investing in the nation’s future.”
Delivering the welcome address on behalf of IERIS, Prof. Kofi Adu-Boahen, Deputy Director of IERIS, described teachers as catalysts of transformation whose work determines the quality of national education. He said the celebration served as both a platform for learning and a space for reflection on the evolving challenges of the teaching profession. “The quality of education depends largely on the quality of teaching,” he stated.
Prof. Adu-Boahen encouraged participants to share experiences and innovative solutions to classroom challenges, emphasising that collaboration between educators and researchers is key to tackling disparities and resource constraints in Ghana’s education system. He reaffirmed IERIS’ commitment to supporting teachers through research, professional development and equitable policy interventions designed to promote teaching excellence across the country.
Representing the Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Prof. Emmanuel Obed Acquah, Dean of the School of Creative Arts, delivered a passionate message reiterating the University’s foundational mandate to train and nurture quality teachers for Ghana and beyond.
He hailed teachers as the cornerstone of national progress, describing them as “architects, doctors and miracle workers who shape minds and inspire dreams.” Prof. Acquah likened educators to composers orchestrating the nation’s development symphony, stressing that without teachers, no sector of society can thrive.
He highlighted UEW’s role as Ghana’s leading teacher education university and expressed the institution’s commitment to training competent, innovative and compassionate educators through ongoing curriculum development and academic mentorship. “When teachers thrive, education flourishes and when education flourishes, nations prosper,” he stated, urging the nation to renew its commitment to preserving the dignity and respect of the teaching profession.
In his keynote address, Mr. Moses Amadu Baman Senior, Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), speaking on behalf of the GNAT General Secretary, commended UEW and IERIS for hosting the event and praised the University’s growth over the years.
He drew attention to the ongoing debate on the use of local languages in education, calling the dominance of English “a lingering relic of colonialism.” He advocated for a national conversation on adopting a common Ghanaian language for instruction, describing language as central to cultural identity and learning.
Mr. Baman affirmed GNAT’s dedication to advancing teacher welfare and professional development, emphasising that uplifting teachers is critical to achieving sustainable national progress. He argued that teachers should not be forced to choose between “pension and survival,” stressing the need for fair compensation, adequate resources and continuous professional growth.
He further called for the thoughtful integration of technology and artificial intelligence into teaching, not as replacements for teachers but as tools to amplify their impact. “When the teacher is inspired, the learner is transformed; when the learner is transformed, the nation progresses,” he said to resounding applause.
Adding a research perspective to the discussions, Dr. Gideon Ampofo of the Centre for Educational Policy Studies (CEPS), under IERIS, presented findings from a national study on teachers’ perceptions of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme. The study, which involved 329 respondents across Ghana, assessed the implementation and impact of CPD on teacher performance.
Dr. Ampofo revealed that while teachers appreciated institutional support for CPD, many expressed dissatisfaction with the content depth, alignment of training programmes and limited inclusion of teachers in policy design. He recommended the development of subject-specific CPD models, stronger monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and participatory policymaking to enhance the programme’s effectiveness. He stressed that effective CPD implementation is vital to strengthening teacher professionalism and improving educational outcomes.
The 2025 World Teachers’ Day celebration at UEW concluded with a resounding call for collective action to restore the dignity, welfare and status of teachers in Ghana. The event showcased the University’s continued leadership in shaping national dialogue on teacher education and underscored its partnership with key stakeholders in promoting excellence in teaching and learning.
