“Wherever you are posted to, just go” – Mangoase teacher who chose villages wins Ghana Teacher Prize

According to a report by Ghanaweb on Sunday, October 11, 2026, Abigail Agyeiwaa, an English teacher at Mangoase Senior High School, has been named Most Outstanding Teacher at the 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize. The award comes with a three-bedroom house valued at GH₵700,000.

The honour recognises more than a decade spent teaching in rural and underserved communities, at a time when many teachers turn down village postings. Agyeiwaa did not wait to be sent to one. At the start of her career, she went to the education office in Akuapem North and asked to be placed in a village rather than a city school.

She says the request surprised the officer, who wanted to know why she would choose a rural posting over an urban one. In her telling, he treated the village as an easy place to send her. She accepted the posting and later moved from her first school to an even more remote community.

Her advice to fellow teachers is direct. “Wherever you are posted to, just go,” she said.

Agyeiwaa believes that where a child grows up should not determine the quality of education that child receives. Pupils in rural communities, she noted, do not choose their circumstances, and they deserve the same access to committed teachers and opportunities as learners in any other part of the country.

The prize adds to an already strong record. She was earlier named the Sub-Saharan African regional winner at the 2026 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards, joining several Ghanaian teachers who have received that recognition. She is also described as a former Cambridge Teacher of the Year.

Her story offers a counterpoint to the reluctance many teachers show toward rural postings, and a reminder of what a classroom in a remote community can gain from someone who chooses to be there.

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