Ghana’s ICT education policy under review

The Minister of Education has met stakeholders to revise and finalise the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy aimed at improving education service delivery and produce workforce for rapid development.

The meeting served as the preparatory ground for bridging the gap between policy and current actual practices in ICT education, which officials say remain a critical requirement in the country’s educational development effort.

The meeting looked at fundamental issues relating to ICT governance, the learning environment, infrastructure and technical support, partner organisations and other critical areas that affect the implementation of the policy.

“The objective is to promote improvement in educational service delivery at all levels and create a generation of computer literate workforce and entrepreneurs that can compete at the global level,” Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Minister of Education said in a speech read on her behalf on Tuesday

Professor Opoku-Agyemang urged stakeholders to produce a policy document that could stand the test of time and create the necessary and enabling environment that would facilitate the deployment, utilisation and integration of ICT in education at all levels.

She said the policy ought to ensure an alignment between the development of ICT in society, their integration in schools and their pedagogical use.

“The policy must address the critical issues of access, equality and quality in education as well as governance, sustainability, funding and risk management issues among other things,” she said.

Countries have transformed their education systems and fortunes through ICT in education, she said, noting that “Ghana cannot afford to and must not be left out in the benefits that ICT offers in the 21st century.”

“Education is at the centre of it all, and the direction this policy will dictate will make the difference,” she added.

The Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr Enoch Hemans Cobbinah, called on the country’s unemployed graduates to exploit several opportunities ICT offered to create jobs for themselves and others for improved living standard.

He noted that ICT had no geographical limit, a situation which presented enormous potential for people to take advantage of and create employment opportunities.

“There is no need for graduates to join an unemployed graduates association when they can use the opportunities in ICT to generate wealth,” he said.