Pupils of the Betenase M/A Junior High School (JHS) in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality of the Ashanti Region will no longer have to learn Information Communication Technology (ICT) primarily from the chalkboard following an intervention by technology giant, Microsoft.
The school gained the attention of a number of organizations after a picture of an ICT teacher drawing parts of the computer on the chalkboard went viral on social media.
The absence of computers and other learning materials forced the teacher, Richard Akoto Appiah to draw sections of a Word document on the board.
Microsoft, in collaboration with its local Education partner in Ghana, eSolutions Consulting, equipped the computer lab of the school with 27 laptop computers, tables and chairs for both pupils and teachers, a projector, a UPS back-up and routers, as well as one year 3G internet connectivity.
The organizations also donated mathematical sets and school uniforms to the school.
Education Lead for West, East and Central Africa at Microsoft, Warren La Fleur said the mission of his outfit was to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more with technology.
“Microsoft believes that enablement must start at the grassroots level by way of education. It is the teachers and the work they do through their lessons, that allow for this to happen effectively”, he added.
Teachers and pupils of the school told Citi News that the provision of computers and other learning materials by Microsoft will improve their study of the subject.
15-year-old Emelia Serwaa, one of 127 students at the school said: “I am really happy because I have not used a laptop before. This the first time I am touching a laptop and it is so flexible.”
She commended Microsoft for the donation and said the device will help her to achieve her grade one target in the ICT subject when she sits for the 2018 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
13-year-old form two pupil, Baafo Emmanuel could also not hide his excitement as he was seated before a brand new laptop computer donated to his class by Microsoft.
“It is better to bring it here. When we didn’t have computers, we used to draw everything in our notebooks, but now we can try it in our own laptops”, he said.
Teacher Richard Akoto Appiah, who has for over six years taken to the chalkboard to draw Microsoft Word interface and other computer parts for his students due to the absence of computers, said he has heaved a sigh after the intervention.
“I so happy with what Microsoft has done. We were doing everything on the chalkboard now they have a laptop so it will make it very easy leaning the subject”.
His efforts have brought relief not only for his pupils but also those from nearby schools.
He has, for over six years, taken to the chalkboard to draw Microsoft Word and other computer programmes for his students.
The Betenase M/A Junior High School (JHS), like many others in the area are bedevilled with infrastructural challenges, inadequate furniture and teaching and learning materials.
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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana