“Using ICT as a tool to promote education in Nanumba North District”

Student at the forum listening keenly

The Bimbilla Community Information Centre has successfully organised a one day ICT4D forum at the forecourt of the Bimbilla Community Information centre. The centre is located in the Nanumba North District in the Northern Region of Ghana.

The forum was organised with the support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA).

In a brief speech, the Vice Principal in charge of academic affairs at the E.P Teacher Training College of Education, Mr. Akor Abdulai mentioned that ICTs have enormous benefits. He therefore urged all present to take the issues of ICTs very seriously as it would not only help their personal development, but also the development of the entire community.

Delivering a speech on behalf of the District Chief Executive, the Nanumba North District Coordinating Director, Mr. Safo Kantanka was very thankful to both IICD and CTA for “this innovative idea to help us share knowledge on the use of ICTs to promote education in our district”. He thanked IICD for supporting the CIC over the years and pledged the District Assembly’s commitment to continue to support the centre for smooth operation.

Mr. Kantanka mentioned that the theme for the forum could not have been any more appropriate as ICTs have become visible and virtually impossible to do without. He catalogued the activities of the centre and urged parents to see it as a duty to encourage their children to frequently visit the centre to acquire ICT training.

Mr. W.K Fuseini, a representative of the District Director of Education mentioned that “History has demonstrated that nothing is stagnant. ICT teaching and learning is very important”. He urged all teachers and students to patronise the centre.

In his presentation on the theme “Using ICT as a tool to promote education in Nanumba North”, the Team Leader of Savana Signatures, a youth based orgnaisation that works primarily in the areas of mainstreaming ICTs  into Education, Mr. Agbenyo John Stephen gave a brief history of how ICT got into the school curriculum of the country. He mentioned that the Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development (IC4AD) Policy is hinged on 14 pillars of which “Promoting ICTs in education – the deployment and exploitation of ICTs in education” clearly defined.

He mentioned that the Ministry of Education has developed an ICT in Education Policy whose vision is “Formation of well balanced individuals with the requisite knowledge, skills, values, aptitudes and attitudes to become functional and productive citizens who are adaptable to the demands of a fast changing world driven by modern science and technology to the intent that they are capable of using ICTs confidently and creatively to achieve personal goals for full participation in the global and knowledge economy” and mission “to provide relevant education to all Ghanaians at all levels to enable them to acquire skills that will assist them to develop their potential to be productive, to facilitate poverty reduction, to promote socio-economic growth and national development and to formulate and implement policies to accelerate Sports development for the welfare of Ghanaians to achieve human development, good health, poverty reduction, national integration and international recognition”

He further said as a result of the Ministry’s ICT policy, there arose the issue of budgetary considerations. This therefore led to a priority scale of ICT diffusion.

Speaking on the place of ICT in the school curriculum, Mr. Agbenyo mentioned that at the basic level the course is meant to introduce students to computer hardware and other peripherals, touching, feeling and manipulation of the hardware components and having Fun, Games, and creative works (drawing etc) using the computer. He added that at the Senior High School level, it has general aims of developing interest and use of ICT for learning in other subjects, knowledge acquisition for application of ICT in education and business and use of the Internet to communicate effectively. He added that by the Ministry’s ICT policy, it is expected that the knowledge and skills gained will help students to use ICT in almost all their courses at school and to access information for further learning.

Mr. Agbenyo ended his presentation on the role of ICTs in improving upon education. He stressed that focus should be on ICTs in Education and not Education in ICTs. He added that the use of internet could enhance research by teachers and also enhance subject content. He further added that ICTs avails the opportunity to acquire certificates without necessarily stepping out f Bimbilla township. He sighted examples of iEARN, Universities offering online courses and the presidential special initiative on education.

He also mentioned how schools engage in classroom collaborations to enhance their learning and scope of knowledge. He sighted the example of the Global Teenager Project (GTP) of which Bimbilla Senior High School is a part and is actively participating in.

He further added that most universities in Ghana now sell their application forms online. Aside, WAEC examination forms are now online and subsequently, the results of the examinations could also be accessed online. This, he said is a very great improvement in the educational sector. He urged all participants at the forum to patronise the CIC as the centre already offered all of the above services.