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| A picture Mr. Patamia's worn-out prosthetic/artificial leg |
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| Mr Patamia in his office |
If
there is anybody worth celebrating for his bold and masculine attitude to life,
it is Mr. Godsway Kosi Patamia, the 44 year old physically challenged teacher
and assistant headmaster of the Agormanya Methodist JHS in the Lower Manya
Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region.
He
is an embodiment of many virtues including optimism, selflessness and
determination but the most pronounced of these attributes is his uncommon faith
in God and the resilience with which he braved through a life of misery and
what many initially considered a hopeless situation to become a first
degree-holding teacher who would not mind teaching his students on an empty
stomach and living on charity for nearly three years without salary which he
worked for and so much deserve.
Administrative bottleneck, improper
coordination between his employer- the GES- and the Controller and Accountant
General’s Department coupled with the wicked act of man’s insensitivity towards
his fellow man painfully turned him into a beggar and yet he kept hope alive and his head above water even on a rather breezy sea of life.
What
later turned a life full of challenges started when little Patamia- then aged
15 and a form 2 pupil of the Keta AME Zion school- was ran into by a saloon car
on his way to school in the year 1985.
He
was rushed to the Keta Government hospital after the accident but was
transferred to the 37 Military Hospitals where he spent days without proper
medical care because he could not be officially admitted due to the lack of
hospital beds.
When
after nearly four days it became obvious he wasn’t going to be admitted, he was
referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital by which time his condition had
worsened and almost beyond recovery.
The
right leg ended up amputated; the left survived but remains mutilated and
painful till date. When eventually he was discharged from the Korle Bu teaching
hospital after two years on admission, he had to stay at the Adoagyire
Orthopedic Center for an additional year during which he learnt to walk on an
artificial (prosthetic) leg.
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| The badly mutilated leg which "survived" the accident |
On
his return after 3 years from the center, having been out of school all this
while, nobody except his mother bought into his decision and desire to go back
to school because many thought it worthless due to his condition.
Determined
to prove that his misfortune was not the end of life, and with the support of
his mother (Ms Peggy Dzidzoamenu), Michael Godsway found his way back into the
classroom and progressed steadily through the Keta Business College (1989-1994)
and later the Accra Teacher Training College from where he graduated a
professional teacher in the year 2002.
As
if to further prove his point, he would still not allow the myriad of
challenges and his financial difficulties to suppress his inner desire to
acquire higher education. After three years of teaching, he applied for study
leave to enable him upgrade but he was refused study leave.
That
would still not be a stumbling block for the determined young man. Having
already gained admission into the University of Cape Coast, he proceeded to
read English and Music for 4 years in the most challenging circumstances one
could ever imagine, among which were his physical disability coupled with
financial difficulties.
He
had no room on campus yet financial difficulty would not permit him to lodge in
any of the student hostels, at least not in his early years on campus. The
student lounge and porters’ lodge virtually turned his place of residence. He
slept on benches/any available slab and ate anything that could keep body and
soul together until he eventually graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in
English and Music.
Upon
completion, he came back and was re-engaged into the Ghana Education Service
(GES) in 2009 and issued with an appointment letter as an English teacher and
the assistant headmaster of the Agormanya Methodist JHS (where he has since
been teaching) in the Eastern Region at the rank of a Principal Superintendent.
He
thought that was going to be the end of his long chain of suffering but that
was not to be. His situation was compounded when for 3 years; he was not paid a
pesewa of his hard-earned salary due to the lack of proper coordination between
his employer, G.E.S and the Controller and Accountant General whose mandate it
was to process his documents to facilitate his payment.
As a
result, a man of his status (assistant headmaster) had to virtually beg to
survive compelling him, his four children and (then) expectant wife to live on
charity and on the generosity of his colleague teachers and church members. (full story is available via this link http://www.modernghana.com/news/406323/1/physically-challenged-teacher-turns-a-beggar-due-t.html).
At a
point, it only took the benevolence of his landlord to spare him eviction from
his room after the expiration of his first rent which was paid by the Reverend
Minister of the Agormanya Methodist Church where he fellowships.
Not
even this treatment from his employers could take him of out the classroom. He
taught with the highest form of sacrifice and dedication virtually on an empty
stomach, making sure his students passed well and gained admission into Senior
High School.
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| Mr. Patamia during instructional hours |
JUSTIFICATION
FOR THE REWARD
1.
He must be showcased and rewarded to serve as a model and inspiration for the
many physically challenged persons on the street who have virtually resigned to
fate in the face of their conditions
2.
He must be rewarded for his selfless service to the pupils of the Agormanya
Methodist JHS and the community. Even when he was not being paid (for 3 years)
during which time he, his 4 children and expectant wife were surviving on the
benevolence of his colleague teachers, he still didn’t miss classes because of
his love for the pupils and the profession
3.
The reward and recognition will give him a more compelling reason to continue
to live and press on in life even in his condition.
NB: This is an Airtel Touching Lives entry/story. It was submitted for season 3, but unfortunately, it did find favour with the selection team. Better luck next time, my good friend.
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| The writer, Henking Adjase-Kodjo (right) with his journalist friend, Umaru Sanda Amadu of Citi FM in a pose with Mr. Patamia at his residence, Agromanya |
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