By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
Newly admitted students of some schools in the Ashanti and Bono East regions have expressed excitement about their access not only to physical computers for the first time in their schooling but also to highly sophisticated ICT laboratories.
This, according to them, has boosted their confidence to learn Information and Communication Technology (ICT), whether as compulsory or elective subject, as they begin their second cycle education.
These sentiments were expressed when the students were officially introduced to well-resourced ICT laboratories in their respective schools at Nkoranza and Abofuor.
The Nkoranza Senior High Technical School in the Nkoranza South Municipality in the Bono East region and the St. Jerome Senior High School at Abofuor in the Offinso South Municipality in the Ashanti region are the beneficiary second-cycle schools of a project to provide well-resourced ICT laboratories to encourage the study of ICT, which is both a compulsory and elective subject.
Hello World Foundation, a non-profit organisation, spent thousands of Ghana Cedis to turn around the old, acutely underresourced, and dilapidated computer laboratories of the two schools free of charge.
At Nkoranza Senior High Technical School, the computer laboratory was on its knees due to the bad state of the few computers, which was a major disincentive to students to learn the subject.
The Headmaster, Collins Adu Yeboah, expressed excitement about the new look of the laboratory and was optimistic that it would boost the study of ICT among the students.
“The renewed space will foster an environment where our students can explore, learn and grow paving the way for innovation and discovery,” the Headmaster asserted.
At Abofuor in the Offinso South Municipality of Ashanti, the St. Jerome SHS’ dilapidated eight-piece computer laboratory was replaced with a tiled floor air-conditioned, well-resourced modern ICT laboratory stocked with 30 brand new desk top computers and their accessories, a multi-purpose printer, a projector among others.
In an interview, some of the students said the facility has boosted their interest in the study of ICT since they are going to use such a facility for the first time.
“The District Assembly said they would help us but didn’t. Because of that, we always failed ICT. I am very happy that Hello World Foundation has come to help us. I am very impressed,” said Nora Apurita, first year student from the Upper East region.
For his part, Salifu Obrempong, also a first-year student, noted, “I found it very difficult learning ICT because there was no practicals, but I am very happy to come to see this computer lab. I am excited that I can comfortably learn ICT.”
“Some of the teachers were having the laptops so they used to it to teach us. But you wouls find it difficult to have your own to learn ICT and if one day the one who was having the laptop didn’t bring it, even if the teacher teaches, you would not understand it,” Adelaide Gyembi, another fresh student, said.
The Founder and Chief Executive of Hello World Foundation, Evans Adusei Junior, explained why his Foundation opted for investment in ICT studies in schools.
“Having an environment like this, having access to computers to access the internet and learn and study effectively whatever they need to do in order to develop, they now have the environment here. And that is what we want to facilitate as an organization. We want to ensure the students have everything they need, including a good environment to learn so that do whatever they need to do to grow themselves, and if they aspire to something in software or computers, hopefully this plays a major part in their advancement,” Mr. Adusei Jnr emphasised.
All two refurbished ICT laboratories were executed within six months at no financial cost to the beneficiary schools.
Mr. Adusei Junior disclosed that Hello World Foundation is constructing a four-story highly sophisticated ICT facility for use by residents of Nkoranza to engender the study of technology to spur knowledge acquisition and socio-economic development within the catchment communities.
