E-Learning Will Help Educate The Children In Ghana

Using computers and the Internet to educate children in Ghana will be beneficial as it will bridges the gap between the children in developing  and less developed countries. Please read on...

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.

Truant Ghanaian Children in London Shipped Home for Parochial Ghanaian Education

Every parent wants his children to do well. Many children of migrant Ghanaians in London fall into the wrong groups and don't take their education serious. This article is refreshing since the kids sent to Ghana by their parents seem to appreciate their parents' efforts to give them a solid foundation for their future.

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:

Margaret Yeboah Mortgaged her House to help Educate Children in Ghana

The plight of children dropping out of school in Ghana is such that many concerned people will do anything to help these desperate children. This is an interesting article about a teacher in Minnesota who recently died. She mortgaged her house to help build a school to educate poor Ghanaian children. Read on.

Oberlin College Donates Computers To Educate Ghanaian Children.

‘All the gold in the world has no significance. That which is lasting are the
thoughtful acts which we do for our fellow man.’

Adolfo Prieto

In order to stimulate some of the children of the Central Region of Ghana to take education seriously, we should expose them to what education can do for them. The internet is a powerful media through which these children can learn what other children in the world are learning and talking about. When they can communicate with other children and discuss issues with them, it would be easier for some of these truant children to take their education seriously. The benefits from access to the internet are more than talking to other kids. Education is its major benefit. We will fail these children if we don’t use any means at our disposal to make it easier and more attractive for them to want to read a book and stay in school.

It is with the above thought in mind that I have been talking about this project with everyone I meet. Luckily for me I discussed this idea with Cynthia Murnan, the Director of Client Services at the Irvin E. Houck Center for Information Technology at the Oberlin College. Cynthia saw my vision and bought into the idea. She has donated six McIntosh computers to start the project in Ghana.

I am grateful to Ms. Murnan and the Oberlin College for this generous contribution which will bring tears of joy to the faces of these poor Ghanaian children. I am hoping that other readers who are are able to help can contact us and join this effort to help these children. Computers and books for the school library are welcome.

Education is the Cornerstone of Nation Building.

No nation can survive without education of her children. Children are the fountain of nation building. A nation without educated children is thus doomed to fail. Unfortunately, in Ghana, though the government is attempting to ensure that the children receive education, the following article posted on the web is not encouraging and hence the government has to double her effort to correct the situation:

"Public Agenda (Accra)
October 14, 2005
Posted to the web October 17, 2005
Accra

A survey by the Ghana Education Service (GES) has found that 56,596 girls
between the ages of six and 11 in the Central Region were out of school by April
this year.

Mrs Justina Torjagbo Central Regional Director of Education who disclosed this
said the number was high and stressed the need for more interventions such as
identifying areas and communities where such problems were prevalent to meet and
counsel parents to address the issue.

Mrs Torjagbo, was speaking at the launching of communication materials such as
posters, brochures and stickers with inscriptions "send your girl child to
school", to promote girl child education in the region, at Cape Coast on
Tuesday. She said although establishment of the Girl Education Unit had made 'great
improvement' in terms of advocacy and community mobilization, a lot more needed
t o be done to attain gender parity in education.

Mrs Torjagbo commended district girls' education officers for working hard to
mobilize more girls in their communities into the classrooms but noted that
although this had been successful they needed to work harder to get the rest in
school by the end of the year. She therefore, urged stakeholders to assist to ensure that provision of the communication materials, by UNICEF in collaboration with the Girls' Education Unit of the GES made the desired impact.

Under the second component of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Credit (PRSC 111)
the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors on September 16, 2005 approved
US$125 million credit for the implementation of the poverty reduction strategy.
Areas to be tackled include education, health etc. The World Bank specifically
asked that particular attention be paid to education in the four most deprived
regions-Northern, Upper East and West and Central regions.

Last two weeks, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) released a
final draft of its Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS 11), which
highlights the need to increase access to and participation in education
training at all levels. It also aims to bridge the gender gaps in access to
education in all districts.

The GPRS 11 document says that in the case of education for all, "government has
undertaken not only to meet the numerical targets of the MDGs but also to put
the lost quality back into the basic education that is offered to children in
deprived and rural areas." But the large number of girls in Central Region and
other parts of the country, who are not in school, suggest that the educational
targets are not being met.

It is expected that the latest World Bank credit will be used to target
these unfortunate girls who are dropping out of school due to poverty.


Document Title: 57,000 Girls Out of School in Central Region

Document Source: Public Agenda"

We realize that the above situation is a major problem. The solution will involve a strong involvement of the parents of the children, the community and the government. In the long run if these children are not educated, they would become a liability to society. The nation also loses a major source of work force to help fuel its economic progress. It is with this in mind that I have started blogging on these issues so I can stimulate discussions and solutions to some of these major pressing issues in Ghana.