Kwahu: Obuoba Teachers’ Excellence Award, A Scheme To Scam Teachers?

Kwahu: Obuoba Teachers’ Excellence Award, A Scheme To Scam Teachers?

The Kwahu Education Foundation, organisers of the OBO)BA TEACHERS’ EXCELLENCE AWARDS, has, since December 2022, failed to distribute cash and other packages of the prize scheme to individual teachers and non-teaching staff members who emerged winners of various categories.

The organisers presented sixty (60) categories ranging from ‘Best teacher (30 individual subjects)’ through ‘best support staff’ to ‘best head teacher’, to schools and individual educators. The scheme saw over 140 teaching and non-teaching staff members filling for nominations.

Winners were selected from various criteria, most importantly the ones who got the highest number of votes. Each vote was priced at 1.00gh in which some nominees had over 2000 votes at their categories.

After the award which took place at Freedom Hills Hotel, Nkwatia-Kwahu on Saturday December 24, 2022, deserving teaching and non-teaching staff members have since not received their promised packages.

Some winners were presented with plaques at the event center while others received handshakes. The chairman of the event promised that, additional prizes such as Ghc 1,000.00 cash, hampers and 500 exercise books for each winner would be delivered at various schools before February 14th, 2023 but the promise was just for the purposes of say sake.

 As the organizers presented, “the award scheme was designed to honour Teachers and other community members on the kwahu ridge for their contribution towards the promotion of education over the years”.

The Award scheme was also labeled as a “concept aimed at rewarding players in the teaching industry on the kwahu ridge” which was supposedly purposed to Awards and “celebrate the unique contribution of some of the finest teachers on the kwahu Ridge and to honour those teachers who through their commitment… have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students.”

After the December event, the chairman, Mr. Michael Fakye, and the management of the award scheme further promised to mount additional outstanding awards which was to take place at rock city but to no avail.

When the chairman of the award scheme was queried about the authenticity of the entire promises, he said that he has spent more money than the money gotten from votes and other donations. 

“It’s unfortunate this is how you interpret it. Very unfortunate. How will I engage in a fraudulent act to lose. Do you even have an idea about the total cost incurred and the total sum of votes. The plaques and citations presented there were well over 20,000. The event venue alone was 25,000..

The lights and background, backdrop, coverage, furniture etc . Were way beyond the votes amount. The award prizes alone is almost 50,0000. Do you think this is how a fraudster operates, just to incur debts. Please be more considerate and measured in your language. Thanks.” – Mr. Michael Faakye said.

The awards scheme saw hardworking teachers such as Mr. Godwin Koku Kpor winning the overall best teacher award. Mr. Kpor, just like other winners from different  categories, has since not received his cash and 500 books prizes after he got 4078 votes at 1gh each from three categories.