Sunday, November 9, 2008

Narkwa School Gets Internet Communication Center.

That the Internet is important for educating children cannot be overemphasized. On these pages, I have been advocating the use of the Internet to bridge the educational gap between the developed world and the less developed world, particularly in Ghana. In the Central Region of Ghana, many of the primary and middle school children drop out of school. Why should they go to school when most of their parents are not formally educated and school is not challenging.

I have the notion that if the children have Internet access they may be able to use the Internet to enrich their learning experience. Additionally, they may meet other children on line with whom they would share ideas. This way, they may be motivated to stay in school. It is with this in mind that in August, 2008, I presented a projector for movies, a laptop and an Apple desktop computer to the school. After about four hours at the One Touch Telecommunication Center in Cape Coast, Ghana, I was able to obtain an Internet modem.

The setup at the school was a challenge as the electric power went off. Fortunately, after several hours, the electric power came on. The Internet connection finally worked. My hope is that the students would be able to use the online e-skool from Intel that has been adopted by the Ghana Government to enhance their education and motivate them to stay in school. I believe that in a year's time, because of the interest in the computer and the Internet access, their school attendance will improve so we can write a grant to get more resources for the school, the district and ultimately the region.