INTRODUCE CREDIT SCHEME FOR TEACHERS...To acquire computers (PAGE 11, DEC 6, 2010)

THE government has been called upon to introduce a credit scheme to enable teachers to acquire personal computers to help promote Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) in schools.
The call was made by participants in a forum in Tamale, the Northern Region, as part of efforts aimed at achieving the goals of Ghana’s ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) programme.
According to the participants, the implementation of the ICT4AD programme could greatly be boosted in schools, if teachers were at the forefront and that it was not prudent for the government to focus on students, when the teachers themselves were not conversant with ICT.
The participants, who were made up of teachers, heads of schools and representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), argued that learning ICT should be a priority for all players in the educational sector and not the students only.
They noted that when teachers were conversant with ICT, they could employ the technology in making their lessons more effective and this would expose the children to the use of ICT.
They also observed that having the understanding and skills in the use of ICT would enable teachers to utilise it performing their administrative and academic duties, including research.
The participants further pointed out that providing computers or laptops to teachers would be less difficult because teachers were workers who receive salaries and could pay for such facilities over a reasonable period of time.
The forum, organised by the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (GINKS), in collaboration with its local partner, Savana Signatures, sought to educate workers in the education sector on the Ghana ICT4AD policy and its objectives in relation to education.
It also created the platform for the participants to brainstorm and share ideas on how ICTs could be effectively deployed and used in educational establishments.
The ICT4AD policy is built with a vision to transform Ghana into an information-rich and a knowledge-based society through the development, deployment and effective utilisation of ICTs in all spheres of national endeavour.
With respect to the education sector, the policy’s objective was to use ICT to facilitate teaching and learning and also promote e-learning.
Making a presentation on the policy, Mr Kubuga Ken, of BoldSteps Foundation at the Tamale Polytechnic said the country’s polytechnics had failed to respond to the objectives of the policy.
“They have not aggressively pursued the course of training people with middle-level skills in ICT,” he stated, adding that these institutions should take the lead in training the country’s next generation of ICT professionals.
The Team Leader of Savana Signatures, Mr Agbenyo John Stephen, reiterated the need for the government to fashion out very effective ways of realising the goals of the ICT4AD policy, particularly with respect to education.
He noted that ICT was very critical to teaching and learning in the modern day world as it opened up avenues for greater student-teacher interaction through multimedia devices and also enhances learning through software programmes and online research.