The Internet Is As Important To Ghana And Afirca's Future As Food And Water".

That the Internet is important for the development of Ghana and for that matter Africa cannot be denied. It is therefore gratifying to know that Professor Nii Quaynor at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana is a champion of this concept. These are some of the highlights of his interview with the New Scientist.

• Though Africa needs food and other resources, it cannot survive without
  affordable computing. This computing power will help with the development
  of many sectors of the economy such as agriculture and water supply.
• Like education, the digital economy dictates that the computing knowledge
  should be the right of every student.
• Though only 5% of sub-Saharan Africans have access to the Internet, Professor
  Nii Quaynor hopes that with the help of cell phones and other low cost
  interfaces like the $100 laptops and cybercafes the target of 95% usage of
  Internet could be achieved earlier.

Those of us who are interested in this issue are grateful for Professor Quaynor's work. We need more like-minded scientists to form a critical mass to move this Internet revolution off the ground. The governments of Africa have to be leaders in this endeavor. The aim is to provide the schools with the Internet Communication Technology.



Reference: New Scientist. 9 August 20008

Ghana Adopts E-Skool To Educate Children In Ghana.

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

Irvin Toffler

All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.

Aristotle

Recent indications are that Ghana is falling behind in its Internet usage compared to other African countries. The new medium, the Internet is like the compass that the early explorers used to conquer the new world. Those who did not have that technology fell behind. It is therefore imperative that the government of Ghana makes Internet available to all the schools if it wants to build the bridge of education to help fuel the development of Ghana.

It is gratifying to know that Ghana has signed on to the e School project from Intel. What good is this important project if the children have no access to the Internet? I realize that the schools without Internet would be supplied with CD's of DVD's filled with local educational contents to help bridge the gap between those with the Internet technology and those without. It looks like the Ghana government knows the importance of this project since it is planning on developing local contents for the Intel site.

"The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men."

Bill Beatie

Reference: Ghana Adopts e-Schools Project

Open Course Ware For Educating Children In Ghana

The Internet is rich with all sorts of resources for education. This is a good source of education for children in Ghana and all over the world. All they need is an access to the Internet. One great source of this invaluable source of knowledge is The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) open course ware.

However, Internet access is a problem in Ghana. It is incumbent on the government to ensure that the schools have access to this important mode of learning and communication. Without that, most of the children would be hewers of wood and drawers of water.

Students from the universities and those doing advanced course work will also be able to make use of the MIT courses that have been made available on line. Quality education is becoming easily accessible provided one has the means to communicate and make contact with the outside world through the Internet.

Online School For Educating Children In Ghana.

"The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards."

Anatole France

"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of person's character lies in their own hands."

Ann Frank.

Educating children in Ghana is difficult for the government since resources are scarce. With the price of gas (petrol) going through the roof, thus forcing the government to borrow money for its day to to day expenditure, it is very gratifying to know that Intel has launched an online school for Ghanaian children.

"The main features are: multimedia learning objects (LearnSteps), interactive simulations (LearnSims), an award-winning maths toolkit, exam centre study notes, exam guides for maths and integrated science as well as study and revision tips. Intel supports a 360° student-centred approach to education. school.com.gh aids students with curriculum-focused multi-media learning and research, offers open-ended learning tools to help students explore wider concepts, and provides valuable exam focused resources to help students prepare effectively for state exams."

This makes it imperative that all the schools have access to computers and the Internet. With these science tools, the children would be given the knowledge for the knowledge based economy. This access to a world class science education will propel the country closer to what it needs to fuel its economy to raise the standards of all Ghanaians.


Reference: PC Magazine

The One Laptop For A Child Goes Windows XP

The one laptop for a child that started with the linux software has now added Windows XP to its operating system. This is a good move as many people are used to the Windows platform.

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Can Help Educate Children in Ghana

When children go to school hungry, what is going to motivate them stay in school? This is the dilemma facing many Ghanaian parents, especially in the villages. In a village that may not have role models of successful educated citizens, the children and their illiterate parents may not place premium on education. All they see are their friends who dropped out of school and are farmers, fishermen or laborers.

These children need to have a compelling reason to stay in school. In many cases, the parent may not be able to give them enough reasons for them to continue their studies, as they themselves had no formal education. The Ghana Government with the help of the World Bank has recognized the importance of education to fuel its economy. The introduction of ICT's in the villages will help educate the children about what is possible for them if they stay in school. Apart from the educational value of these Information and Communications and Technology centers, the children who are usually fast learners would be able to embrace the technology and connect with other kids in Ghana and all over the world. This way, they can expand their horizon and realize the benefit of education.

It is therefore imperative that these centers be part of every school. The investment in these technologies will be beneficial to the country by producing educated work force to fuel the country's economy. Without these investments in the children, they will always be "hewers of wood and drawers of water," a situation that would not be suitable for the rapidly growing world economy with its complexities.

One example of this ICT is the one village foundation in Winneba. Imagine duplicating this in every village in Ghana. The whole world would be open to the children so they can be motivated to stick with their course work and grow up to be productive citizens to improve their lot and contribute to the socioeconomic development of Ghana.

Parents Should not Shirk Their Responsibilty in Educating their Children,

Children are our assets for the future. It takes a whole village to educate them. The parents should not shirk their responsibility and rely only on the teachers. Please, read on:

Computer Education for School Children in the Third World.

The one laptop for a child program, the brainchild of Negroponte, aims to computer educate each child for $100.00. Please, read on: