Regional News of Wednesday, 12 February 2020

Source: GNA

Government to provide free Wifi to schools

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Some selected Ghanaian Senior High Schools (SHSs) and tertiary institutions are to be provided with free Wifi services, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice-President, has disclosed.

The initiative, he said, was part of efforts to broaden the scope of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) education, research and knowledge acquisition.

Alhaji Dr. Bawumia, who was addressing a town hall meeting and results fair in Kumasi, said the internet had in recent time become a major source of information, which was critical to the academic and career development of the youth.

On the ‘Free Senior High School initiative, he said, it had since its implementation over the last three years seen to the increase in enrolment of about 60 per cent.

Alhaji Dr. Bawumia explained that the human resource development of any nation determined her level of development and growth, therefore, the initiative was being strengthened in order to achieve the desired results.

A massive infrastructural development in terms of the construction of additional classrooms was being undertaken to absorb the increasing number of students.

Consequently, the double-track system would soon be a thing of the past as works on those classroom projects were in the advanced stage to create more space for students to learn conveniently.

The Town Hall Meeting, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation, was designed to afford government the platform to account to stakeholders on the execution of its programmes.

It allowed high-ranking government officials to give an empirical account of work executed in various sectors and to take feedback from stakeholders.

Alhaji Dr. Bawumia said the nation needed a government whose commitment to educational development and growth remained solid.

For that reason, the Nana-Akufo-Addo-led Administration would continue to pump in the necessary investment towards expanding the frontiers of educational development.

Since its implementation, the Free SHS initiative had benefitted about 1.2 million Ghanaian students, according to the Ministry of Education.