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School Access to Information and Communication Technologies

School Access to Information and Communication Technologies (Stage 2)

In October 2000, the Mobile Telecenter To-Go program began. This unique way of bringing computers to students, teachers, health workers, journalists and farmers significantly expanded the reach of computer education and access. In its three year existence, 6,000 people received training and e-mail addresses. The telecenter serve 26 schools, 3 nursing schools and members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers in and around Accra. The program has been so successful. That other African countries plan to copy the model.

Schools and universities have very little computer resources. The Ministry of Education has set an expectation, however, that all donated computers be at least a Pentium III, 730 Mhz, 128 Mb RAM and 7.5 Gb disk space. It is a statement about the Ministry¡¦s recognition of the role the IT industry could play. They are supportive of accepting more equipment in schools.

The university of Ghana computer lab only has two dozen working computers - none connected to the internet. Ashesi university pays $1,800 a month for a satellite link so their students can have access to the internet. Essentially four years ago private data networks linked by satellite were illegal. So, there is progress albeit slow, expensive and emergent.

Enhancing Education with ICTs (Stage 2)

There are five universities in Ghana. Those that make it to this level have a 30-40% chance of actually being accepted. It is not because they are not qualified, it is because of limited facilities and faculty. Once enrolled, university students antiquainted curricula and mediocre professors. Instead of being taught marketable skills such as C++, students learn Assembler and MS-DOS. Their study materials include 5 year old handouts. Professors struggle to maintain a minimal standard for the courses they teach. They are paid a relatively high salary (a typical public service jobs like nursing pay approximately $50 per month) but many hold consulting jobs on the side to supplement their own learning and salary. One professor admitted to canceling classes when outside project deadlines loomed. They don’t offer to make up the class and students are discourage from complaining. The best students hope to study and remain abroad in the US or Europe after graduation.

One such student who wrote code for Microsoft left there to start the Ashesi University in Accra. Ashesi offers a Bachelor degree in Computer Science. The program markets to help students “acquire skills needed to design, install and manage information systems, and to develop customized software and electronic media solutions.?The $1,000 for tuition certainly pushes this college out of reach for all but the “fortunate few? However, enrollment continues to grow. Students grab whatever training they can. In 1996, the government approved a Distance Education Program for Ghana. Four universities are partnering with Simon Fraser University in Canada. Massachusetts Institute of Technology make resources available online so that computer science students are able to audit the US based courses.

ICT learning at the primary and secondary level is virtually non-existent. The main focus is still on vocational training. The vast majority is expected to work as an apprentice or to become self-employed. The establishment of the Resource Centers emphasize the importance of science and technology.

Developing the ICT Workforce (Stage 2)

Ghana has developed a plan to achieve middle-income status by the year 2020. The education system, under Ghana Vision 2020 will have the primary responsibility for providing the means for the population to acquire the necessary skills to cope successfully in an increasingly competitive global economy. Science Resource centers have been established in every district. These centers have allowed both student and working adults to modernize their computer skills. One math teacher learned to use Excel to calculate pupil grade percentages, thus increasing his productivity. Increasing productivity through computer systems in the court system has reduced time to judgment. Court reporters receive training on stenograph machines, scanner and other software to allow them to be able to immediately translate recordings to text.

Although there is great progress, the gaps that do exist are wide. There are no places offering a Master degree in Computers. Professional bodies like the IEEE are not tailored to members in poor, remote countries. Even if engineers could afford the fee, they have no way to pay since no one has a credit card.

National expectations place the burden of financing education mainly on the government. However, due to a severe problem with rain drain, the government policy makers considered educating fewer people in computers. Brain drain happens when individuals with marketable skills emigrate and provide no benefit to the country they left. So, a lot of money is spent training them but some other country reaps the benefit. The private sector, therefore, also receives a lot of pressure to play a greater role in funding education. The Ashesi University was founded on this principle. Patrick Awauah came back to Ghana and with $2.6 million in charitable donations founded a school.

One way to help make Ghana become a place where skilled computer works can thrive is to first help the government. The plan is to have funding come from India. Ghanian instructors will be trained for six months. Thereafter, it is hoped that the institute might become a powerful magnet for the country’s top programmers who need a public center for advanced training in software engineering in order to undercut the temptation to exit Ghana. But with a labor pool of approximately 10 million and a targeted 60% of them falling into agricultural vocations, Ghana has a long way to go to develop an ICT workforce.