Improving ICT In Basic Schools In Ghana has helped develop technological and practical computer skills in numerous Ghanaians.
Rapid advancement is everywhere and technology is no exceptional. In the era whereby technology tools and gadgets are not applicable, a lot of hard works are done instead of using technology to make work easier and faster.
At this digital age that the world is moving steadily, Ghana too is becoming part of this digital age. With this, the introduction of ICT into our basic schools is another improvement, but after its introduction has been long forgotten much like the other courses.
It seems the government has even forgotten that the world of technology is advancing rapidly and now, ICT is something that requires much focus and should be treated as a core subject one needs to pass at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) before another level of education.
Some schools in Ghana, especially the private schools have some students who are computer geeks but are doing the wrong thing. But there’s a way for both of schools can helps their students become computer savvy.
Increasing the interest of our children in learning ICT should be a major focus for the government by setting more standardized examination for it. The first approach in doing this is to restrict the studies of ICT to only basic schools that can utilize the experience after all how many students continue to study ICT in those schools.
The restriction would not be permanent, as the government could start on introducing it on a priority basis to schools. A few number of students to teach and take examination would then result in a better-regulated curriculum and more standardized exams. Also, there should be a way for this curriculum to be handled outside Ghana Education School (GES)in such a way that it can be regulated as to when it should be review instead of when Ghana Education Service (GES) will decide to review all its subjects.
Sometimes, the private schools are the ones supposed to be ahead in ICT since parents of these students are wealthier than their counterparts that are found in public school. At the private schools, almost 70% of the students are having personal computers (PC) while the other 30% are either using computers that are for everyone in the family at their homes. These students often get their personal computers at the primary stage before entering Junior High School (J.H.S) making them geeky in the use of computer but usually use it for wrong purpose of which some is how they abuse social media.
You might be thinking or guessing, if a student is introduced to technology as a topic in ICT, then this is going to make him or her ready to be able to do some simple task such as how to use Microsoft Office properly or developing a good typing speed up to twenty-five (25) words per minute but that’s not so as one would think. To make sure students make every opportunity given to them in life useful, private schools need to have more intensive curricula.
They might already take a first step as early introduction into the syllabus but it’s still seen like as just a subject like Maths or Science which should not be like that. The schools are to make the course as practical as possible by giving the students much self-practice homework.
Also, parents need to make sure that their wards prioritize skills in ICT that are required rather than any other subject. We sometimes prioritize other subjects much more than ICT of which should be changed. Adding more, parents need to sensitized about this and change their way of thinking after all majority of them know its implication on their lives.
After BECE and WASSCE, some of the parents do send their wards to acquire some knowledge in ICT but it usually ends there since there’s no follow up to check how their wards are performing making these students see it as waste of time. Parents must understand the use of I.C.T in this evolving world and follow up on how their wards are doing at ICT training centres.
Some of these students when entered the tertiary level, find it difficult to operate the technology available to them and usually struggle to do simple assignments that need to be submitted online or how to do proper research via the internet. Such situation should not happen at all since we can introduce the skills to them as young as they are, making them equipped for challenges that are on the global front.
These alone can help the nation improve ICT in our basic schools in Ghana if only we take the various key points stated above. Improving ICT In Basic Schools In Ghana.
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In summary, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the integral subjects in our basic school system in Ghana. The famous 2007 Educational Reform gave birth to the introduction of ICT into the basic school system in Ghana.
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