What Challenges do you foresee in the implementation of the 60,000 laptop project to Public Basic Schools, by the ministry of Education?* How should the challenges be addressed?

Introduction

According to Ehrman, ‘teaching and learning is our core business which is changing students’ knowledge, aptitudes, abilities and attitudes, and everything else must add value to it.’ Changing students’ knowledge, aptitudes, abilities and attitudes is like changing a Lizard into a Butterfly. And if teaching and learning is the key for such a transformation, then it is possible. However, it is a very complex task. Getting children to metamorphose from one status of intellect to another, through teaching and learning involve several procedures, theories and principles that must be followed over a long period of time. Conventional teaching practices, with outmoded pedagogy, have not been able to develop the learner's mind as it is supposed to. The introduction of technology into schools across the world, have transformed teaching and learning rapidly. It has also made students more proactive than passive. Today's rapid advancement and technological development have opened up a new and exciting world that, just a few years ago, seemed unimaginable. With the click of a mouse, technology continues to change the way we live, learn, work and interact each and every day. (Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia. (HMEF 5083 Course Manual, chapter 3).

Discussion

Ingrid Ansah in her submission, stated that the approach suggested by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in the course manual is what basic school teachers must do and I quote: ‘basic school teachers will have to adopt if or when the Ministry of Education fulfils its promise. This initiative will require training on a mass scale for both teachers and students. Teachers will need to be trained in skills such as;` learning skills, creative and critical thinking, facilitating, assessment and evaluation and technology competence.’

Well, for me what Ghanaian schools need, with regard to ICT education, is far more greater than training basic school teachers. Why on earth would one want to train teachers, when indeed there is no comprehensive plan for effective integration of educational and Instructional technology into schools? What happened in Malaysia, through the PDK programme, which later became known as SMART School, remember was guided by a model, which was carefully planned, with theories from the domains of Seels and Richey as well as the ADDIE model from McGriff. Today, they have a more comprehensive ICT education, which goes beyond the installation and use of broadband internet. Can Ghana boast of ICT education when indeed educators and policy makers are not applying tried and proven educational theories to change knowledge, aptitudes, attitudes and abilities of children?

On Monday, 12 September 2011, the major news that hit the headlines was that ‘Government is to distribute 60,000 laptops to basic schools across the country under its computerization project to improve the teaching of ICT.’ (GNA News. Source: Modernghana.com). Moreover, “Betty Mould Iddrisu, Ghana's minister of education, announced the plan as part of the government's Basic School Computerization Project, which is designed to ensure that Ghanaian children grow up computer literate in an increasingly digital world. (www.lenovo.com). The project was launched in Accra, under the theme “ICT as a tool for development at the basic level education”, said the initiative seeks to equip and empower basic school teachers and pupils with modern ICT equipment and skills to enhance their knowledge and capability in the use of modern technology.’’

A critical analysis of the theme for launching the project gives us some clues about the Government’s ICT agenda at the basic schools level. Using ICT as a tool for development in basic schools. This theme in itself is mediocre. One may ague that it is just a starting point. But I beg to differ because I have been an ICT Teaching Assistant in the Business and ICT department of Barking College in the United Kingdom during the 2005/ 2006 academic year. That was at the tertiary level. At the basic level, I was a volunteer teacher for a week in Lauriston Primary school in Hackney, London, to teach 8 year olds i.e. Key Stage 2 pupils. In Ghana, between the period of September 2006 to November 2007, I was the ICT instructor at Alsyd Academy, a basic school situated at Dworwulu, a suburb of Accra.

At the tertiary level in Barking College, I realized that all teachers had laptops and used the computer and its peripherals, alongside recommended software and applications to instruct or teach students. Every lecture room was fully equipped with technological devices such as desktop computers, webcams, projects, CDs and other storage devices. So teaching and learning was instructed through technology. Literacy and numeracy became very easy and inspiring for students to do. Class assignments were research and internet based as well as books. Note here that there were no dedicated computer laboratories, but rather the lecture rooms were furnished with technological devices, specifically for teaching and learning. This made students very active rather than passive learners.

At the basic level in Lauriston primary school, there was a dedicated computer laboratory for teaching and learning of ICT at certain periods in the week. And to my surprise, children of KS 2, saw the computer as a play device. But once they were instructed through demonstrations and maneuvering, they were engaged to study better than conventional teaching practices. In Alsyd Academy, there was a dedicated computer laboratory with 40 desktop computers and pupils had to share one computer by pairing. This was solely provided to teach Basic Computing Skills, but without overhead projectors. So as a teacher, I had to go round and help each pupil click the right button and menu box, etc. That for me is partial fulfillment of ICT education. It is not like absolute Instructional Technology that is taking place in Malaysia now, through the Smart School system. Meanwhile, the Minister for education said ‘the ICT project is one of the flagship projects the Ministry of education has kick-started, hoping that by the end of 2013 Ghana will be competing with countries likes of South Africa in terms of ICT Education. (GNA News. Source: moderngahana.com).

Competing with other countries is a great idea but studying what and how others have done it is key. This project is bound to face a myriad of challenges. But before I identify the challenges let me ask a few questions, which I believe need to be operationalised in the context of this discussion.
• Who is supposed to benefit from the 60,000 laptops?
• Will all children of all public basic schools have the laptops?
• Are private schools supposed to benefit from any similar package currently or in the future?
• By what criteria are they distributing the laptops?
• How are they going to be shared in terms of quantity?
• Are the laptops going to sit in computer laboratories?
• Are there proper storage facilities for these delicate machines?
• What kind of maintenance plan is in place to ensure long life span of the laptops?
• Are teachers part of the beneficiaries?
• Are there internet facilities to support teaching and learning?
• How integrating is it? Is it just for basic computing skills or for instructional technology?
• Have teachers been trained to instruct pupils with the laptops?
These and several other questions can be asked because the project is not well planned to ensure the success and development.

The Challenges

• The project is intended for only public basic schools and this cannot bring any significant development to education in Ghana
• How can ICT be taught effectively in schools that lack standard computer laboratories?
• Internet assess and installation is a problem that bedevil many public schools.
• Many teachers are likely not to benefit from this.
• Not all children are going to get these laptops because in one of the editions of the Daily Graphic, a list of students and teachers, from the various regions, were published as benefactors who had to go to the regional education units for them. That suggests to me that not all teachers and pupils are going to benefit from this. What are the criteria for distribution? Clearly, discrimination and inequality is going to come up as a challenge if all pupils are not furnished with a laptop.
• There are no customized software and application for teaching and learning.
• Teachers across board have not been trained for ICT education.

More Challenges

Ingrid Ansah, once again, mentioned yet another challenge, saying, ‘In addition to receiving training, teachers will need to be counselled on various issues, such as class control, and encourage students to stay focused, to achieve this, the lesson need to be interesting to hold the students attention. This is essentially a big change to them and they will need to be counselled on how to cope with these changes.’ I absolutely agree with her because certainly, the attitude of pupils is going to change due to the use of laptop. Behaviour change is likely to reach undefined heights and teachers will have to find ways of ensuring good behaviour. Counselling indeed will be an antidote to some of these challenges due to the sudden change.

Another major challenge is sustainability and maintenance. How secured are these laptops in the school environment especially where there are no dedicated computer laboratories? The laptops are likely to be stolen and this will cause heavy financial loss to the state. In terms of servicing the laptops, rlg, the company that supplied the laptops to the government, are ready to carry out such maintenance duties as and when the need arise.

Finally, I would like to touch on the challenge of curriculum development. The new curriculum captures ICT as a core subject at the basic level. Which is a good thing. But how is it being treated? To date, children in basic schools just learn the theory and principles of basic computing skills but there is no avenue for them to practice, because there are no computers. Ingrid Ansah in her final assertion threw more light on this, making mention of the policy statement of Ghana’s ICT for Accelerated Development: In the policy statement of Ghana’s ICT4AD 2003, there was a statement that `policy efforts shall be directed at using ICT’s to facilitate education and learning within the educational system and to promote e-learning and e-education as well as life-long learning within the population at large.’((ICT4AD) Policy 2003). That means e-learning and e-ducation are recognized as important tools for teaching and learning. But to what extent have educators prepared e-learning materials for individual course contents based on curriculum subjects outlined? That is what we need to do because e-learning require such things as ‘Course Content’, Student Support Services’, and other materials through the Internet for ‘Student-to-tutor interaction’ and ‘Student-to-Student interaction. [from Figure 3.1: E-Learning Model for Schools [Sourcecde.athabascau.ca/online_book/ch2.html]

Solutions and Recommnendations

I think the best way to address these challenges and solve them is to look at what Malaysia, UK, Korea, Australia have done and them tap into their expertise for effective installation of instructional technology into schools.

I also beleive that the Ministry of education must provide training packages for teachers to enrol during the long vacations so that they can have time to be exposed to the tenets of instructional technology once and for all. To ensure full and effective participation of the training by teachers and educators, the Ministry of Education must send a directive to withold the salary of teachers who do not avail themselves for training, for a three month period. That way, teachers will be compelled to streamline other roles for the training. This is very important because teachers every where must be ICT compliant and technologically sound in order to be able to impart knowledge and facilitate teaching and learning in schools.

The government must also make heavy investments into the provision of infrastructure, especially computer laboratories and other technological devices for teaching and learning. Some of the private schools have found ways of investing in ICT infrastructure including the Internet. So the government must be able to do this. The burden should not be on the government alone, but all stakeholders of education must be roped into this big idea of integrating instructional technology in to schools. Pupils and students at basic schools, must be counselled and psyched up for such a change and with time they will adopt it.

Finally, educational leaders and policy makers must also ensure that the curricular is catered for by creating customised or tailor made teaching materials that take in to account Ghanaian culture and other values that are unique to Ghana.

References

HMEF 5083 Course Manual Open University AIT Graduate Studies page 52,53, 61
Ghana News Agency. GNA News of 09-14-2011, 12-09-2011: www.moderngahan.com

http://www.lenovo.com/articles/us/en/news/ghana-to-deliver-60000-laptops-to-schools.html

http://www.modernghana.com/news/350146/1/govt-to-distribute-60000-laptops-to-school-childr.html

http://www.rlgghana.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=100

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=218542

http://news.gkrom.com/articles/gov’t-to-distribute-60000-laptops-to-school-children