The latest edition of the Education Alert (Volume 30) by the Africa Education Watch has revealed a significant gap in ICT facilities in Ghana’s basic public education system, posing a major obstacle to the country’s pursuit of digital literacy.
According to the report on the theme, “Bridging the ICT Facilities Gap in Ghana’s Public Basic Education System: A Fundamental Steps Towards Digital Literacy”, Ghana has introduced Computing as a compulsory subject in upper primary and junior high schools (JHSs) to equip learners with basic ICT literacy.
However, the lack of ICT facilities in schools hinders effective teaching and learning of this critical subject.
“The introduction of Computing as a compulsory subject is a step in the right direction, but it’s meaningless if our schools lack the necessary ICT facilities. We need to bridge this gap to ensure our students are digitally literate and competitive in the global economy” Kofi Asare Executive Director of Africa Education Watch said.
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The report’s key findings paint a dire picture. For instance;
– Only 15% of public primary schools (2,305 out of 15,368) and 13% of public JHSs (1,525 out of 11,735) had functioning ICT facilities by the end of the 2022/2023 academic year.
– Despite national electricity coverage exceeding 80%, only 44% of primary schools and 63.9% of JHSs had access to electricity by 2020.
To address this gap, the report recommends the following:
– Political parties prioritize the ICT facilities deficit in their education policies for 2025-2028.
– ICT facilities be made available in every basic school, accessible to both primary and JHSs.
– The Ghana Education Service (GES) collaborates with local governments to connect schools in areas with electricity coverage to the national grid.
– Effective budgeting systems be established to finance electricity bills for basic schools.
“As election 2024 approaches, we urge political parties to take note of this critical issue and make concrete commitments to address it. Our children’s future depends on it.”Mr Asare said.
By bridging the ICT facilities gap, Ghana can take a fundamental step towards achieving digital literacy and equipping its future generations with the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.
Find Full Report Below:
