USAID donates ICT Center, TLMs to 154 low-key private schools in Northern Ghana

The United States government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has commissioned an ICT center in the Nantong District of the Northern Region to improve quality of education.

The ICT center, the first of its kind in the district will serve over 1,700 students from six schools.

The agency also provided $70,000 to print and distribute teaching and learning materials (TLMs) for 154 low-key private schools in 13 districts in the Northern, North East, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

The TMLs approved by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NACCA) included teachers guides, textbooks, workbooks, supplementary readers, alphabets and word cards among others.

A private IT company, IPMC Ghana supported by donating 21 laptops and accessories and audiovisual literacy instruction materials to the center.

Delivering a speech at the event, the Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy, Rolf Olson said the ICT center and TLMs donation forms part of the USAID Advancing Partnerships for Improved (APIL) Activity.

He said APIL supports more than 200 low-key private schools to provide quality education for children in underserved communities in Northern Ghana.

“In the past year, we have collaborated with the private sector, government and the leadership of these schools to improve education, increase private sector investment, and ensure teachers receive regular professional development, training and mentorship.”

The Deputy Chief of Mission said last year, the agency support totaled over $140 million in education, health, economic growth, agriculture among others.

“USAID invests in Ghana’s education sector because we believe in its power to open doors. Quality education enhances citizens’ prospects for decent work, income generation, and wellbeing”, he added.

Rolf Olson said the Haira Excellence Academy, the host of the ICT center, is one of the school the agency is supporting under the APIL Activity.

“We believe that you have the potential to make a positive change for yourselves and your communities. Your decision to volunteer one of your used rooms to house the ICT center is commendable”, he opined.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, the Deputy Minister of Education, Rev John Ntim Fordjour said the ministry is poised to ensure the establishment of ICT centers in both rural and urban areas public and low-key private schools.

This he said is evident in the number of ICT centers in some rural communities across the country.

“We are in the 21st century and Ghana is poised to have a 21st century leaning for learners. I’m every part of the country, not only in urban areas but even in hard to reach areas we are poised to establish ICT labs, we are poised to ensure the connectivity is extended, we are even bringing the digital learning experience to classrooms and now we are going beyond the public schools to low-fee private schools”, he said.

Director of Education And Training – IPMC Ghana, Gaurav Sharda said the laptops provided by IPMC is AI co-pilot, implemented itself with a Microsoft window program to help broaden the horizon of students.

He said it’s also designed to prevent students from accesses irrelevant informations and content from the internet.

“These laptops are AI co-pilot implemented itself with a Microsoft window program so that the laptop can help the students learn extra things and assist them with the correct information so that they will not get any other incorrect content from the internet. So that will save them from awful information content”, he said.

The Northern Regional Director of Education, Hajia Katumi Nantogma said the purpose of this initiative is to foster a robust education environment by providing essential resources and infrastructure to low-key private schools.

She expressed excitement about the donation of 43,000 TLMs to 154 low-key private schools across 13 districts in northern Ghana, adding that “these materials have been developed through the USAID’s learning activities and approved by NACCA“.

Hajia Katumi Nantogma said the TLMs are also designed to enrich the instructional quality and support academic growth of students.

“With the partnership of IPMC, we will soon witness the inauguration of a 20 user ICT center to promote digital literacy and support the teaching and learning processes. This ICT center represents the significant step towards integrating technology into education, ensuring that our learners are equipped with essential digital 21st skills”, she added.

Story By: Alhassan Imoro |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.