Ashanti Region: Ahafo Ano South District gets new ICT Centre 

ICT Education in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region has been given a major boost with the opening of an ICT Centre valued at about 410 thousand Ghana Cedis at Abesewa.

Speaking to GBC’s Radio Ghana during the dedication and inauguration ceremony at Abesewa, an ICT Instructor from the Ghana Education Service (GES), Alan Baidoo said the Centre  will enable school children to have practical lessons with computers and help them fare better in the ICT Examination especially in the BECE. 

The ICT Centre which also doubles as a library, was provided by the Sunyani Diocese of the Methodist Church, with support from Methodists in South Carolina USA. 

Despite the fact that ICT is an examinable subject in Ghana's education curriculum, pupils at the basic level at Abesewa and its environs in Ashanti Region, have had to endure ICT lessons without the benefit of computers.

The situation is the cause of very bad results in ICT at the BECE level over the years in the area.

A citizen of the area resident in the UK, Martin Bioh, decided to take remedial action and was partnered by the Methodist Church in the Sunyani Diocese and Orange-burg District in South Carolina in the US. 

The fruit of their collaboration is the new ICT Centre at Abesawa. 

It is equipped with 50 Computer work stations, 10 of which were presented by the former First Lady, Lordina Mahama. 

The library department also has the capacity to stock over 5000 books for both children and adults. 

An ICT Instructor with the GES in the area, Alan Baidoo, was overjoyed by the development saying the days of very bad results in the BECE so far as ICT goes will soon be a thing of the past, while interested adults in the area could also take advantage of it to become ICT compliant.

A dedication and inauguration ceremony for the new Abesewa ICT Centre was very well attended. 

Present were Representatives of the Orange-burg District of South Carolina Methodist Church, the GES and Staff and pupils of some local Schools. Also present were Traditional Rulers in the area. 

Addressing the gathering, the Methodist Bishop of Sunyani, Rt Rev. Kofi Asare Bediako said, they aim to support the GES deliver quality ICT education as well as give other adults the opportunity to learn to use ICT. 

He appealed to the government and the GES to provide the Centre with a bus to help ferry school pupils from the catchment area to and from the facility.

GBC