The Minister for Communication and digitization, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has commissioned a fully furnished ICT laboratory for the Sefwi Wiawso Senior High School in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality of the Western North Region at Sefwi Anwhiam.
The facility which was funded by the Ghana Investments for Electronic Communication (GIFEC) has 40 new desktop computers with accessories which aims at providing ICT opportunities to rural schools and bridge the digital gap in the country.
The Minister through the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project, also inspected a telephone mast at Abrabra, Nkonya and commissioned another at Mile 3 a farming community in the Wiawso municipality.
Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the Government was committed to equipping young people with the skills they needed to succeed in life, considering the current technological revolution.
She said technology played a critical role in the digital world hence the need for all to be ICT literate.
The Minister also commended Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, the Member of Parliament for the Sefwi Wiawso Constituency, and some other prominent indigenes of the area for their role in making the project a reality. She advised the students to use laboratory profitably, especially for research work, to be abreast of current technological advancements.
She further added that Government was committed to providing students with the right skills, devices and training to compete favorably with their peers in other countries and they should take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Government, teachers and parents to improve on their studies in general and ICT in particular.
The Administrator of GIFEC Mr. Prince Ofosu-Sefah said, the significant role of ICT in development could not be over emphasized and commended President Nana Akufo-Addo for ensuring that school children acquired relevant skills to make them functional.
He also said GIFEC was facilitating teaching and learning of ICT in Basic and Senior High Schools through the deployment of ICT equipment and internet facilities.
He again added that they are doing this with the school connectivity project, through which desktop, printers and scanners are being provided for over 1,020 schools across the country.
In addition to the above, Mr. Sefah said 26 schools have benefited from the project in the Western North region and more than 7000 persons, including teachers, students, artisans, head porters and identifiable women groups had been trained in basic ICT skills in the region.
Mr. Benjamin Ballow, the Assistant Headmaster of the school expressed gratitude to the government and said the school was established in 1961 and now has a student population of 1,877 with 79 teaching and 39 non-teaching staff.
Mr. Ballow prayed government continue to assist the school to cater for the increasing enrolment due to the Free Senior High School Policy.
Mr. Benjamin Ballow finally said, the school offers ICT as an elective subject, hence the facility would help teaching and learning of the subject and called on organizations for support.
