AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Gold Mine Improves ICT Skills of Teachers in Host Communities

Municipal Director of GES, Mr Alex Kwaku Duah (arrowed) speaking on ICT training need for teachers.

Tarkwa, 30 May 2018 - AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Community Trust Fund is sponsoring the training of 65 teachers from seven of its host community Basic Schools in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The training began last week in Adieyie Basic School. The participating schools are Abompuniso JHS, Adieyie JHS, Wangarakrom JHS, Teberebie JHS, New Techiman Early Childhood Development Center, Bankyim and Akyempim JHS.

For effective training and participation, they have been grouped into three cohorts which will span from Monday 21 May 2018 to Friday 1 June 2018.

This training has become necessary, following an assessment of a basic education improvement project which is being jointly implemented by the Mine, the Municipal Education Office and Community Schools to improve teaching and learning outcomes in schools. The assessment revealed that most schools are challenged in ICT teaching and learning and this negatively affects targets set for the attainment of the basic education improvement project goal.

In 2017, performance in ICT pass mark for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for the host community schools was low; only 39.6 % of the pupils who sat for the BECE had grade 4-5 in ICT. It is based on these outcomes that the Iduapriem Community Trust Fund collaborating with the Municipal Education Office put together this intervention to train teachers in teaching ICT and also distribute 55 desktop computers to schools with no computers. An amount of GH₵ 152,626.00 is expected to be invested in the programme.

Opening the training session, the Senior Manager – Sustainability of the Mine, Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo reaffirmed the mines commitment to improving quality education and challenged the teachers to fully utilize the knowledge gained in effectively teaching ICT in the schools. “We need to start with the skills training first, then we can scale up to purchasing more computers for the schools after the training”, he said. He also stressed on the need for the participating schools to secure the computers they have against burglary and regularly maintain them to ensure they meet the objective for which they were procured.

The Municipal Director of Ghana Education Service for Tarkwa Nsuaem, Mr. Alex Kwaku Duah said in 2007, ICT was introduced into the syllabus as part of the subjects to be taught in the basic educational system. Because of its practicality, teaching ICT becomes abstract in the minds of the pupils, making the use of computers essential.

The training of the teachers in ICT and provision of the computers will enhance the performances of teaching and learning in ICT and improve performances in the BECE as the pupils prepare for the exams. “By the end of the workshop, the teachers will be able to handle basic skills in ICT,” he added.

In order to become a confident user of ICT in the classroom, he said teachers need to take part in ongoing training to better understand the benefits of digital literacy.

“Training in ICT needs to be recognised as essential for teaching such skills, and as an enabler of other teaching and learning practices. We are supporting the training with our facilitators who are skilled in ICT training in the municipality”, Mr. Duah concluded.