TEACHERS’ FORUM ON ICT INTEGRATION INTO TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SCHOOLS ORGANISED ON THE 15TH JULY, 2010 IN TAMALE, GHANA

The teachers’ forum which drew its membership from schools in the Tamale Metropolis and the Savelugu District in Northern Ghana was held at the GILBT Training Centre in Tamale. It was organised by Savana Signatures (www.savsign.org) with the support of the International Institute for Communications and Development (www.iicd.org)
Some of the schools which were present at the forum include Savelugu Experimental Junior High School, Pong-Tamale Senior High School, Bishops’ Junior High School, Darul Hardis Junior High School, Dakpema Primary and Junior High Schools many among others. Present at the forum were head teachers, ICT teachers and other subject area teachers. Also present were some selected students of Savana Signatures ICT Club, the media and other sister NGO’s such as Action Aid Ghana, CALID, Child Reach International, ISODEC, Grassroot Sisterhood Foundation, Youth Action on Reproductive Order (YARO) and Initiative for Integrated Development (IFID).
The chairperson, Madam Fati Alhassan, the Executive Director of Grassroot Sisterhood Foundation, in her acceptance speech urged participants to pay keen attention to issues that will be discussed at the forum since ICT has come to stay and the earlier we embraced this reality, the better it will be for us as a people and as a nation.
Mr. Stephen Agbenyo, the Team Leader of Savana Signatures, under whose auspices the programme was organized, gave the welcome address. He thanked participants for availing themselves for the forum. He went on to give a short history and the gradual but forceful growth of his organisation. He also touched on the aims, vision and mission of Savana Signatures emphasising that using ICT for youth and women development and mainstreaming ICT use into our schools feature prominently on the agenda of Savana Signatures.
Making the first presentation on the topic: ICTs AND COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN GHANA, Mr. Raphael McClure Adomey lamented that even though the 2002 strategic paper released by the World Bank identified that ICT development can increase the economic and social well-being of poor people, empower individuals and communities as well as enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency of the public sector including the delivery of social services, Ghana was still tottering on the road of ICT development. Touching on the state of ICT in Colleges of Education, the speaker identified among other things the fact that ICT syllabus for Colleges of Education were in outlines with no detailed explanation on topics, the short duration (two semesters) for ICT course, inadequate ICT lecturers and the deplorable state of computer laboratories. He further stated that due to the inadequacy and or the unavailability of both software and Hardware equipment and unreliable internet access in our schools, ICT lessons have become theory based with very little or no practical training at all. In spite of the fact that he identified key challenges that militate against mainstreaming ICTs into our schools and colleges, he was delighted that in the light of this gloomy picture laid, the hope that most ICT teachers despite their limited training are willing to impart that knowledge to their students. He concluded by urging Savana Signatures to try incorporate simple Computer Maintenance to their training packages to enable people do simple maintenance.
The second speaker for the day, Mr. Osman W. Usif made a presentation on the findings of a survey jointly financed and conducted by Savanna Signatures and Initiative For Integrated Development (IFID) on state of ICTs in schools in Northern Ghana. He opined that the main objective of the survey was to try to gain understanding of ICT situation in schools in Northern Ghana by sampling some schools and teachers as well as some head teachers in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions. In all, 449 Students were interviewed comprising 219 from Northern Region, 133 from the Upper East Region and, 97 from the Upper West Region. 57 ICT teachers from the three regions were also interviewed. 50 Head teachers were interviewed and seven District Officials, comprising three from Northern region, two from Upper East region and two from Upper West region were also interviewed.
Mr. Usif stated that the research findings revealed that majority of schools do not have ICT facilities let alone undertake practical training; thus 54.10% of respondents said that they did not have computers in their schools while 45.90% responded in the affirmative. Regarding electricity, the survey revealed that while 50% of schools had electricity, 50% did not have electricity.
In trying to find out where the schools get funds to purchase computers, the findings showed that the Parent Teacher Associations (PTA’s) played a pioneering role in this regard since 48.20% of respondents stated that the PTA provided their schools with computers while government support in this regard stood at 11.10% and that of NGO’s at 14.10%. The presenter at this point urged school authorities to collaborate with their respective PTA’s since a well facilitated process would see PTAs providing computers for pupils in their schools. Mr. Usif further emphasised that it is very pathetic to note that even though ICT is a practically oriented subject, the findings show that school ICT teachers focus on only the theoretical aspect of ICT due to the unavailability of either computers or electricity or both. The survey, he remarked, showed rather interesting findings when the question of whether ICT should be an examinable subject in view of the numerous constraints that are chocking it, majority of the respondents corresponding to 55.0% responded ‘YES’ citing the fact that it would not be fair to schools without computers and or electricity and also due to the inadequacy of ICT materials for enhanced learning. Those who were of the view that it should be an examinable subject also cited the fact that it will be the only way the government will be compelled to provide the necessary ICT equipment and more importantly the fact that ICT knowledge has become indispensable in this global village. Most of the ICT teachers lamented the inadequacy of ICT textbooks, the lack of funds to repair damaged computers and the lack of electricity to power the knowledge systems. Drawing the curtains on his submission, Mr. Usif stated that in spite of the unpleasant picture the findings produced, the hope laid in the consolation that there was a more positive attitude by all towards the need to inculcate ICT as part of the ecology of school life and the learning process in general. He therefore admonished all stake holders to strengthen the fight with the optimism that with the “Yes, We Can” attitude, we shall bridge this great digital divide.

OPEN FORUM
Participants went on a snack break during which time they tried to network among themselves and discuss some of the key issues in the presentations that were made. This preceded the actual open forum which was next on the agenda. This part of the programme sought to get first hand knowledge from both the students, head teachers and teachers on the state of ICT in their schools and to brainstorm the way forward.
During the open forum, it came up that some of the schools, like Kamina Junior High School have the facilities, the staff needed professionalized training in order to put the center to maximum use while other schools like Darul Hardis Junior High School have 3 old computers but did not have electricity in the school and as such resoughted to carrying their computers to the mosque near by that had electricity each time they have practical lessons.
While teachers form Dakpema Primary school posited that they neither had computers nor electricity, those from Savelugu Experimental Junior High School said that they had only one computer and in adequate ICT textbooks. It also came up that in Bishop’s Junior High School, a private business man decided to build a computer laboratory for the students to use at a fee of GHC 2.00 per student per term but the initiative failed because students complained about the fact that the charge was too much for them. Some ICT teachers’ present also complained about the large number of students they have to handle and the fact that the large numbers and the lack of resources were some of their challenges. The open forum revealed a lot of paradoxes because while some schools had computers but lacked rooms to use as computer Labs, others had no computer but had enough rooms while other too had computers but were handicapped with electricity to power the machines.
Having identified these numerous challenges that militate against the smooth implementation of ICT into our schools, the Chairperson then asked the house to brainstorm and come out with the way forward. She set the pace by suggesting that all ICT teachers should also come out and conscript themselves in organised groups as we have in other subject areas like GAST( Ghana Association of Science Teachers) and GATE (Ghana Association of Teachers of English).This, she said, will give a voice to ICT teachers to raise their concerns. She further suggested that regular ICT clinics should be organised to equip both teachers and students on relevant ICT issues. The representative of Youth Action on Reproductive Order (YARO), an NGO also urged that if we needed to make progress in ICT in our schools, then our focus should be on teacher training Colleges since they are the people who can make the impact we desire as a country. The representative from CALID also suggested that NGO’s appeal to the Education authorities and the district assemblies to try and extend electricity to schools in their districts. Based on the research findings which were presented, most teachers said that it was vital to organise PTA meetings regularly in order to discuss issues bothering on school development. The head teacher of Darul Hardis Junior High School further urged teachers to try to indulge their heads to try to use part of the capitation grant to purchase some computers and other ICT accessories.
Some participants also urge SavSign to try and organise regular Radio discussions in order to provoke public attention on this issue. The Team Leader of SavSign, Agbenyo Stephen announced to the participants that his organisation in August of this year would be organising a three week hands on ICT training for interested teachers. He urged all interested teachers to visit the Savana Signatures office to register.

Internet Café operators in Tamale slam vodafone

Internet Café operators in Tamale are up in arms against Vodafone over what they describe as the telecommunication service provider’s deliberate attempt to cripple their businesses in-connection with poor or no internet services they subscribe for their clients.
They complained that their businesses have been grounded since November 2009 due to poor internet services and have threatened to hit the street if Vodafone fails to rectify the anomaly within a five day ultimatum given.

“By this communication we are giving Vodafone up to 26th April, 2010 to improve the services provided or communicate to us clearly on a reasonable time line within which they will live up to their promises,” the statement emphasized.

Agbenyo John Stephen, spokesperson of the Vodafone Broadband Users Association of Tamale accused the management of the northern regional directorate of milking their pockets to maximize profit for no services rendered due to lack of expertise to manage and deliver the bandwidth.

He said while the local operators were struggling to rejuvenate their almost collapsed cafes, Vodafone established a 24 hour internet centre at the Tamale main office which charges three times of what the local operators take for an hour.

“It is actually surprising that Vodafone, an internet service provider sponsored by the public funds is allowed to compete with small entrepreneurs by setting up its own internet café and providing customers with very good bandwidth,” Agbenyo charged.

According to Agbenyo Stephen, most of them invested in Vodafone’s broadband with the mindset of delivering quality services to their customers however their cafes have turned into white elephants because of the prevailing circumstance.

He explained that Vodafone subscribers previously had access to the online portal that allowed them to access their account and that facility he hinted had been taken off without any assigned reason since Vodafone took over the affairs of then Ghana Telecom.

Recipe for destroying a broadband service in a country

Acquire the largest broadband service in the country

Don’t extend the service to the remote places and don’t improve the service where there is. To make sure the country would not enjoy the development of ICT.

Pretend you have new packages for the subscribers each month and so increase the prices.

Make sure the packages bear different names but have the same content. For instance convince many subscribers to pay for a download speed of 1000 KB (around 230GHC) and continue to give them the same 20 KB at best or the usual 6 KB as for everybody. And assume they don’t know how to use www.speedtest.net to measure the bandwidth.

Make it very difficult for a subscriber who discovers that there is no difference between the packages to downgrade and pay less for the same service he was paying more for.

When the users complain about the slow speed of the Internet, tell them you are resolving a technical problem and that you are sorry about that and do nothing to change the situation. Teach your employees to be arrogant with customers about it.

In case they insist for a good service, erect an Internet Café in your premises and use in it all the bandwidth you are supposed to give to the subscribers. Remember “No Community Outreach Program”: Concentrate and keep all the speed and stability of the connection in your premises!

Tell them you have the fastest Internet Café in Africa and increase the rate of the browsing time.

Continue to give a very bad service to all subscribers in the offices, homes, Internet Cafés, schools. Be the service Provider who is at the same time the strongest competitor Retailer.

Compel them to go to your “Fastest Internet Café in Africa” to do their works and so you get money from their subscription and also from your “Fast Internet in Africa”. But don’t let them know you are giving them the “slowest Internet subscription in Africa” and the more expensive in Africa. Don’t let them know that other Internet Service Providers (ISP) in other parts of Africa are slashing down half of their subscription rates and improving the broadband service to give more access to the Internet to these communities.


For all the time they don’t have the Internet at all, let them still pay and don’t compensate them.

Make sure the small Internet Cafés and Telecenters have a very bad Internet service so that no one goes there and soon close. And thus you create unemployment and no dissemination of ICT knowledge through these means for poor people and students, at least paralyzing a whole nation.

Continue to enjoy the monopoly and make sure you do whatever you want with subscribers since no other communication company is innovative enough to fill the gap and since the customers don’t have yet a strong association to claim their rights, enjoy and bully them.

Keep your focus on selling mobile phones, accessories and talk time because the profit is bigger there. Advertise a lot your mobile phones to let people buy and think your brand’s mobile phones and forget about the broadband Internet.

From time to time pretend you give a fraction of your profit for social responsibility by running a contest for website developers to advertise yourself. Yes, some peanuts here and there so that you may fearlessly continue to increase the digital divide in/of the country.