The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has presented the first of several thousands of smart tablets procured for Senior High School students at the Opoku Ware School in Kumasi.
He has also commissioned the first Smart School Block and witnessed the first classroom lessons.
The handover of the tablets and the commissioning are part of a pledge by the government to provide an ICT-driven environment for teaching and learning for the next generation of Ghanaians by providing each student with an educational tablet.
Speaking at the brief handing-over ceremony on Wednesday at Opoku Ware Senior High School, Dr Bawumia said the tablets are pre-loaded with textbooks, sample exam questions and other necessary aids for teaching and learning.
Highlighting the decision to invest heavily in providing such educational infrastructure, Dr Bawumia emphasised the long-term vision underpinning the ongoing overhaul of Ghana’s education system.
“Over the past seven years, we have been working to create the necessary, conducive environment to prepare our children to partake fully in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by investing in technology-based and -driven teaching and learning, with training and incentives for teachers, and infrastructure and equipment for students.
“No country in Africa and very few in the world, certainly not the US and Estonia, which is said to be the most digitalised country in the world, has decided to supply complete educational material on tablets to their students,” Dr Bawumia stressed.
Again, the Vice President disclosed that “No country in Africa has done this and Ghana has once again set the pace for the continent.”
“We are making this heavy investment now, with returns down the years, Dr Bawumia stated, adding: “But we know it will be worth every Cedi invested.”
The Headmaster of the School, Rev Father Stephen Owusu Sekyere, expressed delight at the successful start of the programme, noting that the world was continually undergoing changes and it is important to prepare the next generation adequately.
“I am delighted that we have overcome all the challenges and the programme has taken off. I am even more delighted that it is taking off in my school, and it is the Vice President, who has championed this programme, who is here today to hand over these tablets personally.”
The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing modern, quality education to Ghana’s children.
