The use of mobile phone by students of senior high schools in Ghana - good or bad! From ICT in Education practitioner point of view

Very recently, the Ghana Education Service (GES) expressed passionate concern about the use of mobile phones by students in Senior High Schools in Ghana and reminded us all of the fact that students (first and second cycle) were not permitted to use phones in school. The GES expressed worry that students spend a lot of their time playing (chatting, texting and surfing the internet) with their mobile phones in class. These are serious concerns that need to be looked at especially if these are the reasons why there should be a ban on the use of mobile phones in schools.

While this ban is in place, Government is trying very hard to make ICT universal in all schools. This commitment is clearly seen in the Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development Policy -2003. The Ministry of Education, to firm up Government’s commitment also developed the ICT in Education Policy – 2008. These show ample evidence of the commitment to mainstream ICT in Education. 

Reading through the two policy documents, it becomes very difficult for me to reconcile the commitments and programmes in the policy documents to an existing ban on the use of mobile phones in schools in Ghana. Can we speak of main streaming ICTs in Education without thinking of what mobile technology brings to fore in the classroom?

Most basic ‘simple’ phones have the camera, recorder, calculator, currency convertor, stopwatch, location finder, dictionary etc. features or functionality. These are very useful to students at all levels of education. For the student, the phone can be a calculator. Students can use cameras in phones to record details of practical lessons and other experiments. Geography students would find the location finder function useful in Map reading lessons. Students can also use the phones to listen to useful discussions on radio that broadens their horizon. Mobile phones can also reduce barrier of entry of computers into the classroom. 

Going a just a “little high tech” most that are internet enabled are very useful to students as they can do research online as well as use as a reference. 

While we try to bridge the gap between allowing and not allowing mobile phones in schools, we should also focus on how we introduce mobile technology, with sound pedagogy so that teachers will accept it. Mobile technology requires a different approach to instruction. It requires a collaborative, interactive, exploratory approach where questions are asked, answers sought, and the teacher provides the guidance for a successful learning experience. 

As a practitioner, I think that the current discussion of use or non-use of mobile devices is indicative of the larger picture about the progress made in integrating technology with pedagogical strategies to foster learning - and maybe a reason for us to revisit the implementation strategies of the Ghana ICT4AD Policy document as well as the ICT in Education Policy. Are we getting the implementation right? Are we involving all key stakeholders in the implementation strategies?

Yilonayili School Gets Computer Laboratory

Yilonayili School Gets Computer Laboratory

Savannah Signatures (Savsign), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has set up a computer laboratory at the Yilonayili Junior High School in the Tamale Metropolis’ of the Northern Region Four other schools had already benefited from such project, which is to promote the teaching and learning of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and enhance school administration.

Mr Stephen Abenyo, Director of Savsign, who was speaking at a ceremony to hand over the laboratory, said each of the beneficiary schools was given seven new computers, a projector and printer.

He said the support forms part of an initiative dubbed “Integration of ICT's in Education Project”, being implemented by Savsign with support from the Connect Consortium, a Netherlands based NGO.

Mr Abenyo said 10 teachers from each of the five schools, had been taken through a six-month training in ICT.

He appealed to school authorities to mainatain the facility and to ensure that students benefit from the initiative.

Ms Mariama Mahama, a representative of the Northern Regional Anglican Education Unit, said the project would help facilitate the collection, management and digitising students' academic records and continuing assessment.

She thanked Savsign and its partners for the support, and called on parents to be interested in the wellbeing of their children.

Source: GNA

REFLECTIONS ON CCLE 2012 - BOLIVIA

C4C Cross-Country Learning Event: ICT for Education

Improving the quality and equity of Education through integrating ICT

May 22nd - May 26th 2012, Yapacaní, Bolivia

A Cross-Country Learning Event (CCLE) brings together persons who are designing, implementing and working with ICT to enhance education in different countries, and forms a perfect opportunity for exchanging experiences, learning, and adding value to practices in this field.

The general goal of the 2012 Cross-Country Learning Event in Bolivia is to build on the concepts and projects generated in order to inform and inspire each other. This is expected to be achieved by facilitating the sharing of knowledge and implementation experiences on using ICTs to enhance the availability, accessibility and delivery of good quality education. 

The specific objectives of the workshop are:

1.    Active learning on what works and what doesn’t in using ICTs to enhance the quality of education

2.    Sharing of innovative ideas and peer advice, and identification of good practices

3.    Linking and networking among individuals, projects and organisations working in this field

4.    Building on participants’ experiences to inform C4C´s practice and programmes

DAY 1 – Monday 21^st May 2012

Day 1 started with breakfast together and some informal introduction and welcome by Team from CEPAC.

We did a tour of Santa Cruz and it was lovely to move with Cecilia, our translator. She is so full of energy and fun to be with. 

We ended up with Lunch at Casa Tipica del Camba where we were treated to some traditional Bolivian dishes.

It was also birthday time for Liesbeth of IICD. Staff of Casa Tipica del Camba surprised her with a cake and candle alongside a happy birthday song. 

After lunch, we continued with the sightseeing of the city of Santa Cruz. This took us till about 4.30 where we embarked on the journey to Amboro Eco Resort in Yapaccani, where the workshop will be taking place.

Just when thought we had had enough, we were ushered in to the Eco Resort with yet another package – traditional music and dance!

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Day 2, Tuesday, Amboro Eco resort.

The official opening of the CCLE in Bolivia started with an address from Widen Abastoflor Sauma the Director of CEPAC.  He was glad that all participants were able to make it and hopes to share CEPAC’s experiences with the use of ICTs in Bolivia with the rest of the participants.

He mentioned that at CEPAC, they initially were worried over technological infrastructure but after they got the Infrastructure, their need changed and they started thinking of the content. He stated that the lesson learnt is that the power to learn is within the human being.

He further stated that sustainability is very crucial in all projects and that CEPAC has taken on the responsibility to measure their work after three years of ICTs in Education.

Liesbert Hofs of IICD mentioned that for all of us, Education holds a special place in our hearts and hopes that this platform will offer us the opportunity to learn and share from each other. She gave a presentation on the CCLE process.

Hendrien Maat of Edukans mentioned that the purpose of the CCLE is about ICTs and Education and appreciates the opportunity to work with IICD. She mentioned that Edukans has worked many years in education but ICT is now a new component. She emphasised that though the platform is about ICTs, it is also about how to improve the quality of education and not ICTs for ICTs.

A representative from the Bolivian Ministry of Education stated that what we really need is to work together in a network. He wished all a fruitful learning and sharing process as well as stay in Bolivia.

The ‘real work’ started with the knowledge tree. 

We were grouped to discuss among ourselves areas we considered within our projects as talents. 

These skills were to be represented as leaves of the tree and then the areas we would like to further explore and to get deeper understanding and or to learn from others. These were to be represented as roots of the tree.

After these discussions, the various themes were categorised.

Next was a market place. The various projects put up a good market stand where other participants took turns to visit and to learn more about what others were doing.

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Day 3, Wednesday

Today, we went onto the field to visit various projects. We were put into three groups. The first group was to visit projects that were involved in the Global Teenager Project while the second group visited the Cambio Con Obras school that is generating and digitising their own content. The third group visited the El Caramen school.

I was part of the team that visited Cambio Con Obras school that is generating and digitising their own content.

Some of the things i found striking about the school was the following

• Special involvement of parents in the project
• Integration of technology in the classroom
• Dedication of teachers in preparing the materials
• Sustainability due to parents' involvement
• Systematic processes used to create the materials in the school by the teachers

Later in the evening, I led a team of highly qualified International volley ball players made up of Stephen of Ghana, James from Zambia, Joel from Uganda and Mary from CEPAC, Bolivia to convincingly beat the low rated team of local volleyball players led by Pablo of CEPAC, Gezahegn Lamessa Gemechu from Ethiopia and Roxanna from Bolivia

The day ended with some demos and presentation led by participants. I took participants through the iConnect-online platform for knowledge sharing.

SAVANA SIGNATURES TRAINS 20 HEAD TEACHERS IN TAMALE ON BASIC ICT SKILLS.

Savana Signatures realises that the development and progress of education and the North in particular will be much swifter when the capacity building of the minds of the teachers becomes the fundamental resource.

It was in fulfillment of this dream that Savana Signatures in partnership with the Community Outreach programme of the Radboud University in the Netherlands organised a three week capacity building training programme on Basic ICT for 20 selected head teachers from Tamale the Metropolis. The Training was conducted at the Savana Signatures ICT Centre in Tamale.

The head teachers who had little to no experience at all with a computer were taken through, basic mouse movement, basic Typing Skills, basic ICT knowledge about hardware and software, Microsoft Office Word 2007 (Basic), Microsoft Office Excel 2007 (Basic), Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 (Basic) and the Internet use.

The three weeks training which was practically oriented gave the head teachers the opportunity to have a feel of how the incorporation of ICT into their school administration can improve upon teaching and learning and eventually translate into good academic performance of students. The trainees acknowledged that with Microsoft excel the computing of students’ marks and the balancing of school accounts will be much easier and more convenient. The heads were also impressed by the fact that with the internet they could have access to a pool of knowledge at virtually no cost while at the same time saving time and energy.

Most of the teachers in their testimonies said that the three weeks has demystified the computer for them because hitherto, they saw the computer as a complex and expensive machine that can not be handled by anybody except an expert. They however urged Savsign to, in the future, extend the duration of the training to four weeks or more to enable them catch up.

At the end of the training, participants were awarded certificates and a manual containing the training materials and some exercises. The Director for Savana Signatures, Mr. John Stephen Agbenyo, thanked the teachers for the commitment throughout the course and admonished them to continue to build their capacities in ICT as a way of improving their lot and that of their schools. Mr. Agbenyo also used the occasion to thank the Tamale Metropolitan Education office for their support in providing the teachers for the training and did not forget to thank the trainers, Robbin Janssen and Iris van Kesteren for their patience in taking the teachers through the training and for helping SavSign to achieve one of its core objectives of building the capacities of stakeholders in education.

The trainers, Robbin Janssen and Iris van Kesteren, from the Radboud University, on their part were very thrilled about the progress that was made by the heads within the three weeks of training and urged them not to rest on the knowledge they had acquired but to constantly put it into practice by using it in their schools as a way of keeping track of the knowledge.

The following video link sums up the above report
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy1Z-ktQTB8

NGO slams gov'ts one laptop per child policy

A Non Governmental Organization, Savannah Signatures, promoting the study of Information and Communication Technology in Northern Ghana has disapproved of government’s one child per laptop policy.

Mr. Steven Agbenyo, Executive Director of the Savannah Signatures advised government to focus on providing the needed infrastructure in basic schools to facilitate the study of ICT rather than trying to “Waste” resources on acquiring laptops for distribution to school pupils.

Steven Agbenyo’s criticism came in support of a similar assertion made by Dr. Kwadwo Adjei Tutu, a senior Lecturer at the Economics Department of the University of Ghana who described the one child per laptop policy as “Bogus and a misplaced priority”.

The lecturer at a press conference on Monday September 1, was emphatic that the Mills-Mahama led NDC administration could be charged for causing financial loss to the state with the distribution of 6,000 laptops to pupil’s, when the same resources could be used to provide libraries, books and proper supervision for pupils.

Steven Agbenyo who added his voice to the brouhaha surrounding the one child per laptop policy in an exclusive interview with Citi News questioned the rationale behind making the study of ICT an examinable subject at the Junior High School level when there were no resources to support the course.

The Savannah Signatures Executive Director raised these concerns on the sidelines at a day’s stakeholder workshop on the use of ICT’s in managing patient’s data for an effective health delivery system in Ghana.

Steven Agbenyo maintained that the scale of priority on the one laptop per child had been misplaced because government failed to conduct proper feasibility studies before implementing the policy.

According to the Savannah Signatures Executive Director, there are schools in the heart of the Tamale metropolis (names withheld) that cannot boast of a single computer and its accessories.

He added that the region lacked teachers to handle the ICT subject in many schools that do not have access to electricity.

On the way forward, Mr. Steven Agbenyo advised the Ministry of Education to put on hold the initiative of making the ICT subject examinable at the Junior High School level and ensure the fair distribution of ICT logistics to all schools nationwide.

Mr. Hassan Hamidu, Upper East regional ICT Coordinator from the National Health Insurance Authority stressed the need for the NHIS to play a key role in implementing the use of ICT in data collection at the various health institutions nationwide.

He emphasized that ICT education should be made mandatory to all health professionals whose services are indispensable in nation building.

Mr. Hassan Hamidu therefore impressed upon health professionals particularly Doctors to go beyond folders and automate patients’ data to ensure quick recovery when necessary.

Savannah Signatures in collaboration with the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (GINKS) is promoting the study of ICT in the three regions of the north.

http://citifmonline.com/index.php?id=1.287154.1.575855

THE ROLE OF ICTs IN PREVENTING ELECTORAL VIOLENCE

The maiden edition of the ICT4D forum for the 2011 year came off on Thursday 26th February, 2011 at the Northern regional library. In attendance were members from the Female ICT Teachers Association (FICTTA), Ghana Library Board’s ITAP members, invited youth and the general public.

Opening the forum, the Team leader of Savana Signatures, Mr. John Stephen Agbenyo welcomed participants to the new venue for the ICT4D forum and commended members for their attendance and the contribution to the forum since its inception in the region.

He informed the participants that the forum was a monthly one organized by Savana Signatures on behalf of GINKS.

He went on to explain the activities of the two organizations and called on members to patronize the forum and to invite their friends for subsequent forums.
Mr. John Stephen Agbenyo explain that, the choice of the topic for the forum was as a result of the fact that, most youth in the last general elections were actively involved in electoral violence, thus the need for this forum to provide a platform to educate the youth.
Speaking on the topic, “The role of ICTs in preventing electoral violence”, Mr. Dominic Dery, a lecturer at the Tamale Polytechnic and a former District Electoral Officer of the Saboba District explained that electoral violence included the use of force by political parties or their supporters to intimidate opponents and threats to a democratic regime.

He added that, in some instances, violence is used to intimidate opponents in order to force them not to dare openly and freely express their choices of candidates; whilst in others, violence is manifested in the rigging of elections.
Mr. Dery opined that to ensure violent free and democratic elections, the election must be free, fair and transparent.

He indicated that ICT can promote the credibility of election results, and that it was high time Ghana, as a country


considers mainstreaming ICT fully into our electoral system. He indicated that one sure way ICT could promote election free violence in the near future in Ghana is through the introduction of the biometric register which will help to avoid multiple registrations and voting. He added that ICTs could contribute to the quick declaration of election results; thereby reducing the tension associated with delayed results and will eventually enhance the democratic process of Ghana.

The speaker went on to emphasize that ICT will enable the electorates to be regularly informed and kept abreast of all the activities surrounding the conduct of elections, thereby saving the people from unnecessary rumor and lies which can derail the peaceful atmosphere in the country. Mr. Dery was however quick to add that an irresponsible person or group of persons can use technology (ICT) to cause election violence as it occurred in Rwanda some years past.

He bemoaned the situations where media houses characterized by facilitating communication, information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web. He stated that web 2.0 has Programs and services that allow new ways of using the internet which include allowing users to contribute content, edit WebPages, add comments, upload documents, images or videos and even add content to their personal websites.

He emphasised that web 2.0 is a much potential tool for rural development since it allows many people to share information and pictures, collaborate on documents such as reports, spreadsheets, and presentations and comment on activities.

He further identified income generation, advertising, free Online Training, increased access to relevant and up-to-date content, establishment of communities of Practice as well as remote collaboration and Networking as the other benefits of using google applications.(both the print and electronic) in Ghana tried to call results


of election in favour of their affiliated parties. Such an act can be a recipe for chaos and must be guarded against.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Dominic Dery stated that the most important watch word during elections is vigilance on the part of everybody. “People must be vigilant so as to prevent attempts at changing the decision of the electorates” he said.

The Northern Regional Librarian, Mr. Aaron Kuwuono, expressed his joy and satisfaction

at the discussion that took place and urged participants to patronize the library as it is a place where the general public could source information. He added that he was happy that the Library has this partnership with GINKS and Savana Signatures to organize the monthly ICT4D Forum at the Library.

www.savsign.org

FICTTA elects new executives

Having identified the low female participation in ICTs, Savana Signatures (SavSign), an NGO that works in the area of mainstreaming ICT into education has come out with several strategies to improve upon female participation in ICTs. One of such strategies is the formation of the female ICT Teachers Association (FICTTA).

Membership to the assocation is free and is open to all female Teachers who wish to be trained to integrate ICT into teaching and learning.

The association on Friday the 28th January, 2011 successfully elected its leadership. While Mrs. Angela Boateng of Kamina Junior High School was elected President, Miss Theresa Adabugar of Northern School of Business Senior High School was elected Vice President. Miss Flavia Kwara Nonati of Tampe Kuokuo R/C Primary was elected Organiser and Miss Helen Dabo of St. Charles Senior High School was elected as Secretary of the Association.

Members of the association on Monday started their ICT capacity building program at the SavSign ICT training center. Apart from being taken through the use of computers, they would also be mentored on practical ways by which they will integrate ICT into their teaching and learning in the class room. Each teacher would also be trained to design and deliver lessons in their schools using a laptop and a projector.

Formation of the Female ICT Teachers Association

Savana Signatures has identified the low female participation in ICTs in Northern Ghana and as a result, the organization has come out with several strategies to improve upon female participation in ICT. One of such strategies is the formation of the Female ICT Teachers Association (FICTTA)

MISSION of FICTTA
* To improve the skills and capabilities of female teachers in using I.C.T.
VISION of FICTTA
* To have an increase in the number of female ICT teachers
OBJECTIVES of FICTTA:

* To build the capacity of female ICT teachers
* To raise awareness of ICT among female teachers
* To make visible female I.C.T. role models
* To advocate more professional development for women teachers in the area of technology
* To promote programmes in schools that will encourage girls to undertake studies in I.C.T.
* To encourage partnership among schools, women groups and industry to increase the number of girls working and studying in I.C.T. fields.

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.

E-Waste situation in Ghana: Public Health Implications

“The fight against the digital divide has resulted in massive imports of used and new computers and other electrical and electronic equipment into developing countries, especially in Africa. E-waste has hence become one of the major challenges in the field of waste management in developing countries” These were the opening remarks of Mr. Abu Iddrisu, Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of the Northern Region. He said this when he took his turn at the Northern ICT4D Series held at the Institute for Local Government Studies in Tamale on Thursday the 26th of November 2009.


Explaining what constitutes E-waste, Mr. Iddrisu said E-waste included computers, scanners, fax machines, processors, monitors, mobile phones, cables, old fridges etc.

He indicated that 20-50 million tons of E-waste is generated per year and these constitute a huge garbage problem that find their way into most developing countries including Ghana and hence presents a unique challenge for end of useful life disposal.

On the E-waste situation in Ghana, he said end-of-life electric and electronic gadgets (mobile phones, TVs, computers, refrigerators, etc.) are generated locally by various institutions, repair shops, industries and households. He said the collection of E-waste materials is being done predominantly by the informal sector without regard to health and safety. He added that recovery of materials is also predominantly done by the informal sector using crude methods and without regard to health and safety and the environment.

Mr. Iddrisu further said that there are indications that the reliance on Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) is on the rise. Some of these indicators he said includes the less restrictions on imports of used EEE, some of which arrive as end-of-life (imported e-waste). He added that there is also a general growing demand for new and used EEE by households, institutions, industry, etc. Unfortunately, he said, the standards of new EEE imported into Ghana may be low compared to those used in developed countries - hence high rate of obsolescence.

On what E-waste contains, he stated that E-waste contains valuable metals including; mercury, Barium, lead, arsenic, beryllium and cadmium and related plastic casing. He added that it also contains heavy metals that are not easily decomposed in the soil.

On how E-waste is currently disposed in Ghana he said they are simply disposed into water or on the naked ground, burnt, and or parts extracted out of them and hence generating more waste.

Speaking on the effects of E-waste, Mr. Iddrisu mentioned that they create ecological disasters, create environmental disasters, and create health problems.

On the health implications of e-waste , the Northern Regional Director of EPA mentioned that while LEAD damages the nervous systems, CADMIUM affects the proper functioning of the kidneys. He added that while MERCURY damages kidney and the brain, barium in plastics produces dioxins which can trigger swelling of brains, muscle weakness and cause damage to liver spleen and heart. He added that TONER triggers irritation of the respiratory tract.

To manage e-waste, Mr. Iddrisu called for a map out of current electronic acquisition and disposal, identification of appropriate partners for e-waste disposal, politicization of E-waste by lobbying politicians to see e-waste as a key and emerging environmental problem in Ghana. He further added that the determination of optimum solutions for e -waste in Ghana and the development of an E-waste legislation in Ghana are key factors to consider if we want to manage E-waste in Ghana

He concluded by saying that E-waste is a serious problem that is gradually catching up with us and that there is a need for all stakeholders and government to act swiftly to prevent future catastrophes. He added that the responsibility is on all of us to act swiftly and be informed about the dangers of e-waste to our health and the environment.

He called on GINKS and its partners to take the discussion of E-waste to a higher level than the ICT4D series. He urged GINKS to organize Regional workshops and seminars on the dangers of E-waste. This, he believes, will make a bigger impact in reducing the rise in E-waste in the country.

Ensuring an increase in the use of ICTs in the Bawku West District

A one day ICT4D Forum has been organised in Zebilla in the Bawku West District of Ghana. This was organized by the Zebilla Community Information Centre (CIC) in Collaboration with the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (GINKS).

Mr. Kubuga Kennedy, the CIC Coordinator (IICDs leveraging opportunity for 10 CICs in Northern Ghana) in charge of the Zebilla CIC mentioned that an evaluation conducted by IICD of the CIC revealed that a lot of the inhabitants made some substantial use of mobile phones for their businesses. He mentioned that this was no wonder as Zebilla is not too far from Bawku and Sankansi, both trading towns. He however lamented on the low rate of participation in and use of ICTs by women and prayed that with the institutionalization of knowledge sharing platforms as the ICT4D Forums, the interest of women in ICTs would increase.



Mr. Agbenyo John Stephen, the Northern Coordinator of GINKS gave a background to the ICT4D forums organized by GINKS over the years and the purpose of decentralizing this in the various districts through the Community Information Centres. He mentioned that this is to encourage knowledge sharing on topical issues in the digital economy and to increase the interest of people in using ICTs for Development.



When he took his turn to speak on the theme “Ensuring an increase in the use of ICTs in the Bawku West District”, Mr. Bukari Abdulai, the Assistant Headmaster for the Zebilla Senior High School begun by giving a brief explanation of what ICT is. He explained that an ICT tool is any kind of technology that makes it easy for information to be gathered, processed or disseminated from one place to another.



On the advantages of using ICTs, he stated that while workers can use computers to make their work easier, business people can make their networks through the use of ICTs such as mobile phones and Internet. He added that while students can use the Internet to search for information related to their subject area, teachers can use computers to make the computation of their students’ marks and grades very easily, quickly and more efficiently. “We can all take advantage of ICTs to do distance learning and acquire degrees and certificates while sitting in the comfort of our homes”. He cautioned that all the advantages of ICTs listed could elude the people of the Bawku West District if ICT centres are not present in the district.



On the current situation of ICTs in the district, he stated that the statistics of the district paints a very gloomy picture of the state and use of ICTs in the district. He said that out of a total population of about 88 thousand people in the district, there are only three computer schools and only one Internet café serving this huge number of inhabitants. He added that there is no radio station in the district to produce content that is specifically related to the district. He said land lines are very limited while the mobile phone services are not the best. He further said that the unavailability of broadband Internet Service in Zebilla also makes it difficult for anybody to set up an Internet Café. He added that most workers in the district have very little computer skills. He mentioned that while some of the basic schools in the district do not have the luxury of electricity, not even a single one has a computer lab·



Mr. Abdulai added that ICT tutors in the district are just forcing themselves to prepare their students to compete with students from other well endowed schools in the country and said the current situation has made it difficult for even those who are interested in the use of ICTs to make good use of ICT.



He said the only ICT facility that is owned by the District Assembly is the Community Information Centre which has no Internet.



Speaking on how to improve upon the use of ICTs in the district, Mr. Abdulai urged the District Assembly to as a matter urgency look into the quickest way possible to get Internet connection to the CIC as quickly as possible. He called for more ICT related events such as the ICT4D forums to be organised frequently.



Contributing to the discussion, the Information Officer of the District, Mr. Abdul Aziz Abubakar concurred with the speaker and called upon all the stakeholders present, to as a matter of urgency, take the unavailability of internet at the community information centre as a very serious issue and hence exert pressure on the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC) through the District Assembly to provide the centre with Internet.



Community Information Centre (CIC) Managers from nine other districts who were also present at the forum gave various suggestions on how the Zebilla CIC Manager could improvise in the midst of scarce resources at the centre. They urged him to liaise with the District Education director on how best the centre could serve schools within the district.



Other participants spoke on how unfair it would be to have students from the district and other districts in similar woes to write the WAEC organized exams on ICT next April especially that ICT has been made a core subject in the school curriculum.



The forum ended with a resolution by all participants to take up the issue of ICT seriously in the district and to exert a lot of pressure on the torch bearers to vigorously deploy ICT facilities in the District.

Northern Projects Node meeting held

The Northern Projects Node successfully organized a one day projects node meeting in Tamale at the Arewa Sunshine Hotel on Thursday the 24th of September 2009.

Present at the node meeting were IICD supported projects (ACDEP, MAPRONET, WADEP, CIC Managers from Zebilla, Bolgatanga, Bongo, Sandema, Damongo Walewale, Salaga, Yendi and Bimbilla and Bernadette Huizinga, Capacity Development Officer, IICD.


The Northern Projects Node Coordinator, Agbenyo John Stephen thanked all who came from far and near for being a part of the meeting. He explained to participants the essence of the node meetings and urged all and sundry to actively and freely participate in the discussions.

A video documentary of telecentre sustainability was shown. The video explained how the Kilosa Rural Service and Electronic Communication (KIRSEC) which started as an Internet café and provided farmer news and other secretarial services grew on the back of a business plan to become a thriving ISP.

In the video, Mr. Mark Farahani, CEO of KIRSEC explained how he developed a business plan for KIRSEC and watched the telecentre grow as a result of the implementation of the business plan.

A discussion was held on the video by the participants. Participants were of the view that based on the video, it is clear that there are a lot of resources, but we are not really profiting from them because we are not making the best use of them. Also, Internet enabled computers are not just for special people, but they are for all including the local people. CIC Managers present agreed that their CICs could be used to provide fishing and weather information for farmer groups in their communities.

The mention of telecentre sustainability hinged on business plan set the tone for another fruitful discussion. Mr. Mubarak Muntari, CIC Manager of the Bolgatanga CIC mentioned how fruitful a recently organized Business plan development workshop organized by IICD for CIC managers from 10 districts in the Northern Region has been. He said most of the CICs are considered a waste by the assemblies but urged his colleagues CIC managers to use their business plans to prove to the Assemblies that the CICs are a very viable business ventures. The CIC managers were urged to factor into their business plans, the role of the other IICD supported projects and networks.

PEER ASSIST – WADEP
Mr. Obed Tuabu of WADEP presented a challenge for a peer assist. The following were his questions;
1. Has TRADENET served ECAMIC well?
2. What has been the bottlenecks and setbacks in the Market Price Information distribution to their farmers?
3. What are some of the pitfalls WADEP should avoid in their Market Access Information Project implementation process?
4. Is Esoko a good option, are they giving a good service?

Though the ECAMIC representation was not present at the project node meeting, the other project partners available brought in various suggestions that could be considered by WADEP
Mr. Norbert Apentibadek mentioned that an alternative for WADEP to consider is to contact Savana Farmers Marketing Company. He mentioned that they work with small farmers and producers and help them to have access to markets. They do this buying the products. He mentioned that volume and the quality are assured with the help of MoFA.

Mr. Norbert pledged to link the two organizations (WADEP and Savana Farmers).

The CIC Managers also had another alternative for WADEP. Mr. Mubarak urged WADEP also take a look at http://www.shopafrica53.com/

He mentioned that they are into the sale of traditional goods within localities. He said data and form are designed so that personal data of producers are captured and the goals include Reliable design and Uniform competitive price

The CIC managers were tasked to send full data about this platform to the dgroups for further study and discussion

Mr. Bala Ibrahim and Mr. Latif Baako took turns to educate WADEP on the Esoko platform. They mentioned that MAPRONET is almost about concluding discussions with the managers of the Esoko platform; thus, MAPRONET will soon be joining the Esoko platform

Showcase of Blog of Damango District
Mr. Malik Ewuntomah Joe, the CIC Manager of the Damongo CIC was given the opportunity to do a showcase of the district and CIC blogsite http://www.damongodistrict.blogspot.com

He stated that it is one thing haveing the blog and another thing keeping it updated. He urged his colleague CIC Managers to collaborate effectively with their District Information Officers to keep their blogs updated with news of the District and the CICs

The Introduction of ICT into the Ghanaian Educational Curriculum; successes, failures and the way forward

Alhaji Mohammed Haroon, a director at the Tamale Metropolitan Education office has identified the lack of ICT trained teachers, cost of broadband internet connection, inadequate computers and electricity as some of the challenges facing the implementation of the introduction of ICT into the Ghanaian school curriculum. Alhaji Haroon said this at the July session of the Northern ICT4D Series held at the Institute for Local Government Studies in Tamale.

Speaking on the theme “The introduction of ICT into the Ghanaian Educational Curriculum; successes, failures and the way forward”, Alhaji Haroon mentioned that this is the first time government policy is including ICT in the content of education as a matter of national priority. He further explained that due to the importance of ICT in Education, the Ministry of Education has been facilitating the process of integrating ICT in the educational system because this will facilitate Teaching and learning at all levels of education.

On the successes chalked so far, Mr. Haroon said children hitherto who were ignorant on ICT tools have now been introduced to ICT tools hence their enthusiasm has been whipped up since they are now aware of its usefulness. He mentioned that students now access educational websites for text books and other educational information. He further said an ICT policy has been developed by the Ministry of Education with the support of the Global e-schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI), coupled with the setting up of the National ICT in Education coordinating Committee.

In his concluding words, Mr. Haroon said “Even though ICT is going to play a major role in this current educational system, a lot more things are yet to be put in place. The planning should have been done years ago before the policy pronouncement and implementation”

When he took his turn to speak, the Assistant Headmaster of St. Charles Minor Seminary in Tamale, Mr. George Nego Fugluu gave a background of educational reforms since the colonial days and educational reforms since independence. He said on January 7, 2002 a committee composed of 29 knowledgeable Ghanaians drawn from across a section of stakeholders in the education sector chaired by Prof. Jophus Anamuah-Mensah then Vice Chancellor of University of Education Winneba were to address deficiencies of the 1987 Reforms in the area of Objectives, Content, Administration and Management, quality, equitableness and economic utility, to discuss among other issues the structure of education and issues affecting the development and delivery of education, constrained access to different levels of the educational ladder, Information and Communication Technology, and distance education, Professional development, Management and financing of education.

Mr. Nego said while at the basic level the introduction of ICT sought to introduce pupils to Computer hardware and other peripherals (Touching, feeling and manipulation of the hardware components) and having fun, games, and creative works (drawing etc) using the computer, the inclusion of ICT at Secondary Education Level aimed at the aacquisition of basic ICT literacy, developing interest and use ICT for learning in other subjects, acquisition of knowledge for application of ICT in education and business, the use of the Internet to communicate effectively and the ability to follow basic ethics in the use of ICT.

He mentioned that it is expected that the knowledge and skills gained will help students to use ICT in almost all their courses at school and to access information for further learning.

Speaking on the achievements of the introduction of ICT into the school curriculum, he mentioned the following:
• Increasing computer awareness among students.
• Teaching and Learning has been made much easier with the use of ICT in schools.
• Students with high IQ can now find something to engage them meaningfully instead of indulging themselves in some social vices.
• Educational institutions have economic network with other organizations
• There is keen and healthy competition among schools in ICT knowledge sharing
• ICT at the school level sets the basis for further training in the Universities and Post Sec. Institutions
• A wide area network known as research and Educational Network (REN) has been established in Ghana with the support of World Bank to serve as nodes for the broad network for the Ghanaian Universities, Research institutions (CSIR) and Ghana Atomic Energy Commission

On the challenges, Mr. George Nego stated the following:
• Inadequate Trained Personnel to handle the Facilitation of the subject.
• Inadequate supply of teaching and learning materials
• Lack of Infrastructure
• Lack of Administrative support
• Lack of power supply in the Rural Areas.
• The lack of internet connectivity in most schools to broaden access to information
• High cost of ICT services and components.
• The brain drain syndrome in the area of ICT professional

On the way forward, the Assistant headmaster disclosed that ICT should be seen as an enabler, as a tool to benefit the whole of society and not only the elite and the urban areas. He also said the less privileged should be encouraged to use ICT tools to trade and to create wealth for the country, others must be proactively helped to use and benefit from ICT. He further stated that the quality of education should be continuously improved and this is aided by intensive and extensive use of ICT.

THE NORTHERN YOUTH AND MOBILE TELEPHONY

Mr. Aziz Ibn Shiraz, President of Youth Action Movement has bemoaned the way the Northern youth perceive and use cell phones. This came to light during the August session of the Northern ICT4D Series held in Tamale on 27^th August 2009.

He traced the history of cell phone penetration into the Northern Ghana and mentioned that youth of today go in for fashionable designer cell phones with very sophisticated ring tones instead of first pondering over why they need to even use cell phones. He mentioned that while youth elsewhere brainstorm on daily basis, how to use cell phones for development, the youth of the north only see it as an entertainment tool.

Mr. Aziz mentioned that some of the basic use of cell phones includes voice calls, text messages, radio and Internet. On what it can be used for, he mentioned that sending text messages reduces cost, minimizes time and saves energy. He added that in an era where the youth has become so obsessed in “Ghana Man Time”, using cell phones to set reminders will help the youth over come the issue of responding to appointments late.

He ended his presentation by charging the youth to, at the end of the expiration of their talk time, ask themselves of what value the talk time had added to their lives. His concluding words were, “Technology was intended to make our lives better, to save cost and energy. Let us make the most use of it”

When he took his turn, A Doctor in Alternative medicine, Dr/Alt. Amomba Bruno gave a presentation on the use of cell phones and their health implications. He compared cell phones to microwave devices and disclosed that cell phones have thermal effects. He further mentioned that other effects of the use of cell phones include reproductive effects, cataract, nerve degeneration, brain tumor and headache.

He urged all who make use of cell phones to alternate the ears when receiving and making calls. He also asked all who make use of cell phones to decrease the length of time used and rather send text messages, use hands free cell phones. He also advised all to receive and make calls under trees as trees block and absorb the radiations and gives proper oxygen.

Baby Last

I read this piece, Friends: by rebirth Africa and thought to myself "This piece has just been written for me".

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. But thank the people you meet for being a part of your life, whether they were a reason, a season or a lifetime.