Government will soon hold discussions with agencies to support ICT Programme

The government will soon hold discussions with funding agencies to the support the Ministry of Science and Environment’s Information Communication and Technology (ICT) programme to produce about 100,000 laptop computers to be distributed to students free of charge.

Dr. Mustapha Ahmed, Deputy Minister of Science and Environment, said it was the government’s vision to encourage the study of mathematics and science under the ministry’s Mathematics and Science Development Programme through the use of ICT.

He said this when he distributed 20 laptop computers to students of the Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies, the Jirapa Nursing Training School and Nandom Midwifery Training School at a short ceremony in Wa on Tuesday to launch the programme in the region.

Dr Ahmed said the government was partnering rlg, a local computer manufacturing company, to supply laptops computers for the programme.

He said many students were finding it difficult to acquire computers on their own, hence government’s intervention to reach out to several students with computers as an essential tool for teaching and learning.

Mr. Caesar Kale, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, said 2,000 laptop computers had been distributed to schools in the region.

He said the region was the poorest in the country and as such many students were unable to afford their own computers and appealed to authorities of the Programme to give more consideration to students from the region.

Mr. Dauda Aziz, rlg Regional Representative, said the company was collaborating with ministries and agencies to bring ICT education to the doorsteps of students.**