Ms Christian Churcher, Minister of Sate for Basic, Secondary and Girl-Child Education on Wednesday urged tertiary institutions to use the Internet to promote distance education.
She said, " in view of the inability of the public universities to admit about 60 per cent of qualified applicants each year due to inadequate infrastructure and teaching personnel, an efficient internet service would be an important asset for the distance education programme".
Ms Churcher said this in a speech read for her at the inauguration of a new non-governmental organization, Partnership for New Development (PND) in Accra on the theme: "The importance of information technology in education, training and achievement of individual and national goals."
The minister encouraged PND to co-operate with the Ghana National Committee on Internet Connectivity (GNCIC) to help develop the INFOYOUTH programme for the youth of Ghana and Africa.
"This would help the youth of Africa to develop and build on a common understanding of the problems facing the continent, formulate policies and implement programmes together.
"We have a common mission to tap knowledge and skills in the global domain to our advantage in order to make 'positive change' a reality".
Ms Churcher said the country is determined to use the Internet as a tool for accelerated socio-economic development and also for the promotion of friendship, mutual co-operation, peaceful co-existence, cultural and political stability in the West Africa sub-region.
Mr. Emmanuel Acquaye, Director of Basic Education at the Ghana Education Service who chaired the inauguration cautioned against the use of the country as a dumping ground for over aged and old computers.
He said the memories of some computers imported into the country are very slow and out of use in their countries of origin.
"Our desire to advance in the IT world should not cloud over our sense of responsibility for genuine equipment".
He advised NGOs to coordinate their efforts and resources to avoid concentration of equipment at the few privileged schools to the detriment of others.
Mr. Samuel O. Wontumi of the PND said the project would create enabling conditions to make the information society accessible to all communities.
He said, "we aim at increasing the computer talent of individuals both boys and girls, men and women living in every community, region and the nation as whole to promote a network of partnership which we need in this 21st century".
