Child Online Africa Launches Digital Literacy, Skills Handbook

The Child Online Africa with support from Africa Digital Rights Hub and Facebook have launched Digital Literacy and Skill handbook to address the current demand on Teachers as well as stakeholders in addressing the limited public knowledge on the subject.

According to Project Manager, Child Online Africa, Awo Adam Amenyah, the introduction to Digital Literacy and Skills Handbook will help facilitate as well as guide the delivery of the competencies required by learners in the classroom in the 21^st Century.

She said, “We must ensure that Teachers and Parents are supportive of each other in the delivery of teaching as well as learning resulting in the total development of the skills learners require to deal with challenges of living in a digital world then thrive, hence the book.”

She further added that the introduction to Digital Literacy and Skills handbook will serve as a guide to teaching or discussing opportunities development in all spaces where the topic is being considered for children and young people.

Ms. Amenyah was confident that the introductory work will contribute to the quality of teaching and learning in the digital era.

Executive Director, Africa Digital Rights Hub, Teki Akuetteh Falconer lauded the initiative by Child Online Africa adding that the call in the right direction.

She, however, mentioned that Africa Digital Rights Hub will continue to support the teaching and learning of digitization which will help many Ghanaian children to be abreast of the current digital age.

She said “We believe that the future of the fourth revolution is critical to Africa’s development and we believe that digital rights are also important. Digital Literacy involves digital rights”

Madam Falconer revealed that it is important to impact knowledge in the minds of future leaders adding that if Africa is deprived of an understanding of technology, it will go a long way to affect the Continent.

She challenged the pupils to make good of the handbooks, aim high and take up the digital space.

Board Member of Child Online Africa, Dorothy Konadu underscored the need for young people to relive the dream of becoming real leaders in the fourth Industrial Revolution.

“Human Beings keep evolving and making life better for themselves. It is at the fourth level of our efforts at improving lives. We used to depend on manual labour before machine took over” she mentioned.

She also disclosed that gaining digital literacy and skills is the core mandate of the handbook.

She challenged Teachers, Parents, and Pupils to make it a habit of reading each day as it will help educate and inform the mind about what is new in the digital new era.

Headmistress of St. Maurice Roman Catholic Junior High School, Evelyn Ampomah Nkansah Mainoo thanked Child Online Africa and its partners for choosing the school to launch the digital literacy and skills handbook.

She assured that the students will take up the digital space in the coming years by reading, understanding and abiding by the principles of the handbook.

She called on the teachers to read, understand and impact the knowledge of digital literacy and skills into the students.

Background

Child Online Africa (COA) formally J Initiative is a child-focused research and advocacy-based Non-governmental Organization (NGO) that campaigns for/with children and young people and their families to influence policies and change practices that affect child protection online, Wellbeing and Literacy in Ghana and beyond.