First GTUC Senior and Junior Technology Camp opens

Accra, July 20, GNA - A four-week Technology Camp dubbed "GTUC Senior and Junior Tech Camp 2009" to empower and build inter-personal networks among students in the Senior and Junior High Schools in Ghana opened in Accra.

The camp with participants from schools across the country also aimed at exposing them to the opportunities in the field of technology. Dr Osei K. Darkwa, President, Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC), organizers of the camp, said it was important to address the issues of the digital divide among the youth to ensure that they were not left behind.

"We at GTUC believe that the youth of this country should be exposed to this technology of the day to move the country forward," he said. He said any country which did not use her technology of the day would be relegated and "we do not want that to happen to Ghana". Dr Darkwa said the goal was to channel youthful exuberance into productive and interesting experiences, exercise the mind and body including global dialogue (through Global Kidlinks), and bring together kids from all walks of life.

Mr Ernest V. Aikins from the Information Technology Centre of the GTUC School of Business, said in a country like Ghana where resources for technology training were scarce and expensive, it was imperative to devise methods to reduce the impact of that scarcity. He said the GTUC Tech Camp was designed to respond to the lack of computer and computing skills among the upcoming graduates and to help bridge the digital divide among high school student in Ghana. He said it would offer participants the opportunity to receive exciting hands-on experience with fascinating technology, learn in a project-based setting, unearth their creative talent in the field of technology and also make informed decisions about a variety of career choices.

Mr Aikins reminded the participants that the camp was to provide them opportunity to demystify all the mysteries about computers and urged them to be focused in order to beef up their knowledge in technology. Participants would be taken through "Introduction to Computer Literacy, Computer Hardware, Computer Networking, Website Design, Using Electronic Mail and the Internet". 20 July 09