By Jean Fairbairn | EIFL Communications Manager
Thanks to your support for the EIFL Hands on computer classes for 1,800 Ghana children project, many more children believe they will pass the crucial countrywide exams that start on 13th June, and which determine whether the children will progress to secondary school.
In May this year, we visited two schools that are taking part in the project, in which mobile library vans travel to 25 rural schools in four regions of Ghana bringing solar-charged laptops and Wi-Fi internet to give children hands-on computer classes. Since the project began in November 2015, 3,000 children have learnt essential practical skills - using the keyboard, Excel, Word, email and accessing the internet.
To reach the two schools, which serve farming families in Ashanti Region, the library van must travel for up to two hours over bumpy and rutted roads. The schools we visited have electricity, but it is not reliable, so during the library’s computer classes teachers are grateful to use library’s solar panels.
In each class, three to four children share a laptop. Teachers, supported by librarians, manage the classes carefully to ensure everyone has a turn to use the keyboard and mouse. The children we spoke to all believed they had a better chance of succeeding in their exams because of the classes. The teachers agreed:
“Having the computers is a huge help! The project has increased the confidence and class participation of students, especially one quiet and introvert girl who never spoke in class and who now participates in discussions and practicals during ICT lessons,” said Mr Peter Afrifa Bonsu, technology teacher at Abountem Junior High School.
Word about the project has spread to nearby communities: “Every week, parents move their children from other schools which are not benefitting from the project to my school. They want their children to have this opportunity to learn about technology and pass their exams,” said Mr Francis Pepra Boansi, headmaster of Kwaaso Presbyterian Junior High School.
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