A total of 2,331 Better Ghana Agenda laptop computers have so far been presented to teachers who completed the Rlg Information Communication Technology training under the Basic school Computerization Project from December 2012 to March 2013 in the Central Region.
The first set, made up of 931 laptop computers were presented to the first batch of beneficiary teachers in December last year, while 1,400 were presented in January this year.
The Central Regional Minster, Dr. Samuel Sarpong who on Tuesday presented 1,400 laptop computers to the second batch of beneficiary teachers in Cape Coast, underscored the important role of ICT in the current educational system.
He pointed out that computer literacy in the job market currently constituted an essential driving force that determined the chances of one getting employment and that it had become necessary for all stakeholders in the educational sector to work towards ensuring that classroom teachers became ICT inclined.
He said in this regard, government was working hard to promote ICT education, and has therefore decided to implement the policy on laptops distribution under the Better Ghana Agenda ICT project in which basic school teachers are trained and presented with computers.
The Regional Minister said the exercise was imperative since it will equip the teachers with the requisite ICT knowledge, in order to facilitate the transfer of such knowledge to the students they teach,
He urged the beneficiary teachers to make good use of the facilities to maximize positive returns in their professional duties.
Dr Sarpong appealed to parents to place high premium on the education of their wards because education was one asset a nation can bequeath to the incoming generation.#
He encouraged teachers in the region to continue to dedicate their time and efforts in helping to promote good educational standards in the region.
The Central Regional Director of Education, Mr. Joseph Dagor Kor, declared a zero tolerance on teacher absenteeism and that names of teachers who were guilty of absenteeism had been compiled and would be duly sanctioned.
He said the duty of teachers was to train students to become important in the society and must therefore be proud to go and serve wherever they were posted to, to help improve the Basic Education Certificate Examinations results in the region.
He explained that the provision of the laptops was to serve as motivation for all teachers, and urged them to share their knowledge with their colleagues and students as society expected a lot from them.
He challenged teachers to use their ICT knowledge and laptops to equip themselves with 21st century skills instead of the archaic information they kept recopying from previous lesson notes, adding that lessons should be student centered to encourage the children to work on their own to enable them work everywhere in the world.
He called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to help the region to achieve a zero percentage in teacher absenteeism and improve upon academic performance of students in the region.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Napoleon Odoom on behalf of his colleagues thanked government and promised to use the laptops in a judicious manner. GNA
