Accra, July 28, GNA - Mr Paul Kofi Krampa, Deputy Director of Education of the Ghana Education Service (GES) on Saturday reiterated its readiness to implement the new educational reform, come September this year.
He noted that plans were underway for the implementation of the reform and it was the commitment of GES to make Information Communication Technology (ICT) the driving force in the educational reform agenda.
Mr. Krampa was speaking at the 13th graduation ceremony and inauguration of a GH=A2 60,000 (600 million cedis) two e-learning centres, new musical instruments as well as a refurbished library of the Happy Kids School in Kwashieman, a suburb of Accra. He called on all teachers to rededicate themselves in readiness for the implementation of the new educational reform.
"I wish to appeal to all teachers to rededicate themselves in readiness for the take-off. The programme cannot succeed unless our teachers take up the challenge," he said.
He noted that ICT had become a very important tool for the government in its effort to promote the economic leap of the country so as to enable the society attain middle level income status. He said to bridge the digital divide in ICT the public must appreciate the real role it plays in education, which could be worked at from the perspective of using the computer as a tool that would provide tutorial to augment what teachers taught and also as a channel to guide in understanding concepts, presentation of ideas in a clearer way and also to help in data processing.
He said learning styles for children and students today had changed; they preferred learning from technology driven digital modes such as television, Internet and video.
"If our teachers fail to adopt their teaching to the learning style of our students, we may not be helping them much to explore the opportunities available for their optimum development," he said. Mr. George Sackey Jnr, Executive President e-toys & more inaugurating the e-learning centre sponsored by Ghana Leasing Company and e-toys said the purpose of education was to create relative behavioural change of an individual from what he or she is to what he or she should be.
He said education was undergoing a global transformation where modern methods of delivery were being employed to replace the traditional ones.
He noted that education was becoming completely technology-driven and was adopting technological resources as well as internet. Mr Sackey noted that at e-toys, the corporate mission was to provide technological solutions to the educational needs of children and schools.
Mr Ernest Mintah, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Leasing Company said there were many challenges facing the use of ICT in Africa such as inadequate supply of electricity.
He noted about 1.8 per cent of the total population of Ghana did not have access to the internet which denied them the ability to research into areas of national development. He said Ghana Leasing Company was committed to educational financing in Ghana and would continue to lead the way in providing support.
He also annou nced a special package called the Teachers' Computerization Program (TCP) where computers would be made available to teachers with flexible payment terms to help them keep up with growing technology.
He called on the need to provide ICT for all to bridge the digital divide between the developed and under developed countries. Mrs. Jemima Nartey, Managing Proprietress of the School said the school started as a nursery 14 years ago with only one boy and since then the number had increased steadily to a total of 800 pupils. She said the mission of the school was to ensure that all children who passed through the school were diligent, assertive, creative, productive and achieve total academic excellence and above all must be nurtured morally to be God- fearing.
She said it is the goal of the school to train children to have opportunities of entering institutions of higher learning both academic and technical and to train them to be equipped towards self-reliance and to develop their inborn talents. Mrs. Nartey called on parents not to give up in the upbringing of their children and make sure to pay their fees promptly to ensure the efficient running of the school. 28 July 2007
