Over the years, successive governments have taken steps in promoting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education in Ghana.
The most significant of these efforts has been the procurement and distribution of thousands of laptops to some Senior High School (SHS) students and teachers.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has built on that with the installation of Wireless Fidelity (Wifi) or wireless internet access across almost every SHS in Ghana.
Such efforts are commendable, however, access to ICT education in Ghana remains low compared to her counterparts.
The importance of ICT education cannot be underestimated, hence the need to channel resources in its promotion in schools.
The benefits of the investment in ICT education are enormous, especially in the era of global challenges such as the deadly COVID-19 where almost every transaction is online to reduce the spread.
Most universities and polytechnics have moved their lessons delivery online (E-learning). The University of Education, Winneba, was one of the first universities in Ghana to have successfully facilitated online learning across all levels, including final year students at the time.
This would not have been achieved if the university’s management had failed to invest in ICT infrastructure.
The question is, are those in the junior high schools (JHS) and SHS able to also acquire their educational needs online?
No, because we failed as a nation to do enough investment in ICT infrastructure across basic schools.
Currently, all JHS and SHSs are having contact lessons. Inadequate ICT tools and gadgets at those levels makes online learning impossible.
Another barrier to the efficient delivery of lessons online in our senior high schools is the law that bans students from owning mobile phones, tablets etc.
Future
To effectively digitise education at the SHS level, there must be a national dialogue on how students can safely use modern ICT tools and gadgets.
ICT drives the world, and we cannot progress as a nation if we continue doing things the traditional way.
In developed countries, students at the level of SHS are software developers, developing software and other sophisticated technological devices due to their exposure to ICT tools.
Our students can do it better than their foreign counterparts if we can properly roll out one student one laptop, one smartphone or tablet policy, we shall not only benefit from teaching online, but will also be helping our students to become self-employed, reducing the country’s unemployment rate.
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