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Mrs Fuseini shares story of her journey to the top as 2024 Best Teacher

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Oustanding teacher in Ghana

Oustanding teacher in Ghana

Growing up, Mrs Fuseina Fusei­ni’s greatest ambition was to become a lawyer.

Her reason for that determination was simple – to ‘fight’ for the vulner­able in society and be an advocate against early marriage in her commu­nity.

• Mrs Fuseini doing
what she loves best
• Mrs Fuseini doing what she loves best

Though, she did not realise that childhood dream to become a lawyer due to financial difficulties, her pas­sion and desire for teaching over the years was given a very good though – and it paid off.

For her close followers, her biggest career honour chalked recently in the teaching industry came as little surprise.

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• Celebrating AU day with children
• Celebrating AU day with children

Mrs Fuseini was recently adjudged the first female kindergarten teacher to win the highest national honour for teachers.

She received that recognition at a forum at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi last weekend for her consistency, dedi­cation, hard work and innovation in teaching and learning.

For her prize, Mrs Fuseini received a three-bedroom house and a scholar­ship to study abroad if she so desires, with funding from the Ghana Educa­tion Trust Fund (GETFund).

The 47 year-old Kindergarten (KG) teacher at the Madina SDA Basic School in the Greater Accra Region with over a decade experience in the teaching profession shares her jour­ney with The Spectator.

Mrs Fuseini grew up in a community where teachers were respected and valued.

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This influenced her decision to ven­ture into teaching.

But that passion for teaching aside, Mrs Fuseini also realised that teaching can offer a similar platform to work as an advocate for the underprivi­leged and the marginalised in the society.

“Gone were the days, teachers commanded some sort of respect; they were seen to be disciplined. They were seen as mentors in the community. They were very influen­tial.”

“I realised teaching was also a form of advocacy to share ideas. Most of my family members were teachers and that even made it easy for me to go into the profession,” she ex­plained.

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Education

After completing Senior High School (SHS) at the Saint Monica’s School of Education at Asante Mampong in the Ashanti region, she furthered her education at the University of Educa­tion (Winneba) where she studied for diploma in Basic Education.

“Teaching Kindergaten for the past 15 years gives me so much joy. I have a feeling it’s my calling be­cause I teach children with ease and vibe with the children so easily,” she stated.

With her experience at the kin­dergarten level, Mrs Fuseini is in a better position to clear a few miscon­ceptions at that early stage of child education.

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She is aware of a few of these misconceptions, one of which is the school of thought that Kin­dergarten class or school is all about uniformed kids eat­ing and sleeping.

In her view, that stage of a child’s education or upbringing is very cru­cial and urged both teach­ers and parents to pay atten­tion to the little ones at that stage.

Explain­ing the educational curriculum used in teaching, Mrs Fuseini noted that three methods were employed in teaching the kids.

They are the differentiated, play-based and hands-on-learn methods.

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The differentiated method demands from the teach­er to allow the child to go about activities differently according to their strength.

In the play-based curriculum, the children are allowed to play and by so doing, it builds their creativity and supports their future aspiration.

Furthermore, she said children were sometimes grouped according to their abilities in the hands-on-learn method to explore with their hands.

Feeling

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Sharing how she felt when she was announced as winner of the presti­gious award – The Most Outstanding Teacher of the Year, she exclaimed: “I was full of joy and also proud of my achievement and immense contribu­tion to the country.

“This is history because this is the first time a kindergarten teacher has ever won such an award and I count myself blessed and lucky.”

She commended the initiative to reward dedicated teachers, saying the recognition was key to bring out the best in every teacher.

Mrs Fuseini believes that dedication to her profession has played a signif­icant role in her achieve­ments, adding that, “This is going to motivate and inspire so many teachers to do their best despite the stress associated with the teaching job.”

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“If I get the needed sup­port, I would want to do my PHD in teaching. I still want to focus on kinder­garten in order to rebrand the early child education sector”

Challenges

Infrastructure is one major challenge facing ed­ucation at this level. Some are the inadequate space that compel authorities to put too many children in a class.

This, she explained, makes too overwhelming and children some­times finds it difficult to pay atten­tion in class.

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She said despite the few gains chalked at the sector, they were limited sometimes in the area of resources due to the lack of logistics like puzzles, building blocks and com­puters to support the curriculum.

Teachers are described as a bridge upon which people use to get to their destination and therefore must not be neglected.

There is, therefore, the need to make provisions for them not only through finances but ensuring that they teach in a good environment.

Family

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She was born to Fuseina Salifu and Amina Fuseini in Ketekrachi in the Oti Region of Ghana.

She is the third child among eight siblings and married to Mr Zibrim Biosama and are blessed with three children.

When Mrs Fuseini is not in the class­room, she can watch movies all day.

She appealed to all teachers to show dedication to the profession and called on the government to support the teaching department with incen­tives.

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By Linda Abrefi Wadie

Entertainment

Dierre Doors names King Promise as Brand Ambassador for Ghana campaign

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Italian premium security door manufacturer Dierre S.p.A. has named award-winning Ghanaian Afrobeats and Highlife artiste King Promise (Gregory Bortey Newman) as the face of its new Ghana and West Africa marketing campaign.

The partnership, managed by Regiments Management Company Limited, forms part of Dierre’s efforts to strengthen its presence in the West African market.

The two-week campaign, themed “Secure What Matters,” will run across digital, outdoor and influencer platforms, with King Promise featuring in a campaign film showcasing Dierre’s Prestige and Synergy security door ranges.

“Home is everything. It is where you protect the people and things that matter most. Dierre builds doors that reflect exactly that security, quality and style without compromise. I am proud to represent a brand that stands for those values,” King Promise said.

Founded in Italy, Dierre is a global manufacturer of armoured security doors, interior doors and fire-protection systems. Its products carry international anti-burglary certifications across Classes 3, 4 and 5, with the company producing hundreds of thousands of doors, locks and safes annually.

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King Promise is one of Ghana’s leading Afrobeats and Highlife artistes, known for his distinctive sound, international collaborations and growing global audience.

The partnership combines Dierre’s security and design expertise with King Promise’s influence in contemporary African music and culture, as the brand expands its consumer engagement in Ghana and across West Africa.

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From a room to a global enterprise: The Michael L. Bartlett-Vanderpuye story

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• Michael L. Bartlett-Vanderpuye
• Michael L. Bartlett-Vanderpuye

From humble beginnings to building an enterprise with global ambitions, Michael L. Bartlett-Vanderpuye’s journey is a story of discipline, independence, resilience and the belief that businesses should be built to outlive their founders.

Long before he became the Group Chairman of M&C Group, Michael L. Bartlett-Vanderpuye was building from modest beginnings.

Mr Vanderpuye recieves a citation at the 100 Most Notable African Leadership Excellence Awards

His entrepreneurial journey did not start in a sophisticated corporate office or with a large team behind him.

At one stage, he was working from his room with limited resources, focused on turning an idea into a viable business.

That beginning became an important part of his philosophy: build the business first, then let the infrastructure grow with it.

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Michael Bartlett-Vanderpuye

Michael’s early experiences shaped his determination to become an entrepreneur. After university and periods of professional employment, including banking, accounting, marketing, packaging and logistics, he developed a deeper understanding of how businesses operate and how different industries connect.

 His exposure to mining advisory work, property and other commercial opportunities broadened his perspective and helped him identify opportunities beyond a single sector.

But the journey was far from easy.

He recalls the uncertainty of sending proposal after proposal without knowing which one would eventually open a door.

Even after establishing an office in East Legon, some people assumed he was working for someone else because they could not imagine that the business belonged to him.

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The confidence and corporate presence associated with success today were built through years of uncertainty, rejection, experimentation and persistence.

His evolution from working out of a room to leading M&C Group reflects a broader philosophy that has guided his business life: do not build an image before you build the substance.

For Michael, entrepreneurship is not simply about owning a company. It is about learning how to turn knowledge, relationships, opportunities and resources into sustainable value.

He believes professionals in every field can develop an entrepreneurial mindset by creating assets, building networks, investing in opportunities and developing additional sources of value alongside their careers.

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That philosophy has influenced the way he approaches business expansion. Rather than viewing companies as isolated entities, Michael sees opportunities to create connections between industries, people and services.

Strategic partnerships, in his view, can create greater value than treating every other business as a competitor.

His approach has also been shaped by research and international exposure. He argues that entrepreneurs must understand the markets they enter rather than simply copy businesses they see succeeding elsewhere.

Behind every successful enterprise, he believes, are structures, regulations, relationships, research and decisions that may not be immediately visible from the outside.

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As his business interests have grown, so has his ambition. M&C Group represents a significant chapter in that evolution, reflecting his drive to build an enterprise that extends beyond a single venture.

His vision is rooted not merely in personal wealth, but in creating businesses capable of generating employment, developing people, building partnerships and contributing to the wider economy.

Michael is particularly concerned about the role of the private sector in addressing unemployment and creating sustainable opportunities. For him, a successful business should ultimately do more than enrich its owner. It should employ people, develop skills, support suppliers and create opportunities that extend beyond the founder.

That long-term perspective is central to his understanding of success.

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He is cautious about equating visibility with achievement. In an age where social media can make a business appear larger than it is, Michael believes the real measure of an enterprise lies in its systems, customers, assets, operations and results. The brand should be supported by substance.

His personal journey has therefore become a lesson in patience and discipline. The man who once had to convince people that the business was actually his now speaks about building systems, protecting capital, understanding markets and thinking beyond the immediate reward.

And his ambitions do not stop with the present generation.

Michael describes legacy as something that should extend beyond his children to future generations. His objective is to build something sustainable-something that can continue creating value after he is no longer at the centre of it.

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From a modest room and limited resources to the boardroom and the development of a growing business group, Michael L. Bartlett-Vanderpuye’s story is ultimately about building before displaying, learning before expanding and creating something designed to last.

His journey is a reminder that global ambition does not necessarily begin with global resources. Sometimes, it begins with little more than an idea, discipline, persistence and the willingness to start where you are. – MyStoryMagazine

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