Presenting GH4STEM 100 Top Teacher: PELLETETEGE LANGTENG FREDRICK, Lawra #GH4STEM

Typical with young boys in the Dagara community, Mr. Pelletetege grew up rearing cattle with no hopes of ever stepping foot in the classroom. However the death of his grandfather’s cattle, though a misfortune, created the opportunity for him to go to school. He had his education at Kasari LA Primary and Lawra Secondary School. When he started school, he initially thought he might want to become a nurse, but after passing the interview for the Teacher Training College, he decided to pursue teaching instead. He majored in Mathematics and Science and later on continued to the University of Education, Winneba where he graduated with a degree in Mathematics.

Pelletetege recalls that after Junior High School, his Mathematics teacher advised him not to choose to study science at the senior high level due to the poor performance in examinations. However, as a General Arts student at Lawra Secondary School he had the opportunity to study elective mathematics and that is what sparked his interest in STEM, and he went on to study Mathematics and Science in his tertiary education.

Due to his exemplary work, Pelletetege was awarded National Best Teacher in 2016 and placed second in the same awards scheme in 2014. Currently, he teaches one hundred and fifty students at the Lawra Girls Model School. 

On what drives him as a teacher, Pelletetege recounts his experiences. “…Back in my school days the tuition was poor. Climbing the educational ladder, I realized that I missed a lot in terms of understanding simple concepts about my environment…” Pelletetege is determined not to let this happen to other students, and this is what inspires him as a teacher. He wants to ensure that he gives students the best possible tuition in Science and Mathematics. As such he is always happy to see his students ready to learn. “I decided to take up Science or Mathematics as an educator to help make learning easier for the young ones,” he says. 

Pelletetege loves the experiments he gets to conduct when teaching STEM. This is because it gives a practical explanation to the theories he has taught in class. As such, both he and his students are always excited when they performing experiments. He is a member of GAST, and he says that one of the benefits of being a STEM educator is that it creates the opportunity for him to meet new people. 

As a result of participating in the Challenge, Pelletetege has changed his approach to his lesson presentations. He focuses on helping students understand their lessons and gives practical examples that can help them both in examinations and in their lives. During the demonstrations of the experiment in the JUNEOS Challenge, Pelletetege was struck by the fact that all the participants were girls. He says that this proved to him that indeed “Girls can become great scientists.”

Pelletetege enjoys music and watching sports highlights on TV3 and GTV.

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Article by Kofi Konadu Berko.

Kofi Konadu Berko is passionate about education and youth development. He holds a B.A in Adult Education and Human Resource Studies from the University Of Ghana. His works have been  published in the historic Afroyoung Adult anthology titled Waterbirds On the Lakeshore, Adabraka: Stories From the Center Of the World, Tampered Press and the Kalahari Review. He blogs at obolokofi.wordpress.com