... as GES bans mobile phones in SHS

Vodafone Ghana says its V-LINK phone booths deployed in over 400 Senior High Schools holds the key to solving the Ghana Education Service ban on the use of mobile phones in senior high schools in the country. The ban on the use of mobile phones in second cycle schools has created a national debate on whether the decision is harsh on students. Most stakeholders think it is not a new thing and must be continued. But as this debate goes on, Vodafone has, proactively, rolled out a phone booth technology that addresses the concerns of the students, their parents and school authorities.

According to Mr. Patrick Otieku-Boadu, Project Manager of V-Link at Vodafone Ghana, 1,500 phone booths have been rolled out in 413 schools as part of a grand agenda to ensure that students and their parents, guardians and loved ones are able to communicate without any hindrance and in a controlled manner that will not affect their studies.

He explained that this solves the problem that the GES seeks to address with the order to SHS heads to punish students who flout the ban on the use of mobile phones.

Vodafone's V-LINK phone booths are solar paneled and GSM enabled to allow students to send and receive text messages. "It has the added features of benefitting from all the promotions that Vodafone runs on its network on regular mobile phones. In effect, these Vodafone booths are like mobile phones but shared by a number of students."

Apart from the already installed ones, 400 more V-Link phones are to be rolled out in the next few months as a means of meeting the high demand for the booths from other Senior High Schools.

The V-Link Project Manager said Vodafone has always been part of this important national project and will work to support the vision of the GES while providing a more regulated means of telecommunications solution to the students.

Vodafone introduced its V-Link phone booths as a new concept to replace the former GT pay-phones which phased out due to low patronage during the early stages of year 2000.

The V-Link functions just like a mobile phone. It uses SIM cards and allows patrons to send and receive text messages, apart from making and receiving calls. It is a solar-based technology as well.

A remarkable aspect of the V-Link roll-out, according to the Head of Corporate Communications at Vodafone, Mr. Isaac Cudjoe, "are the testimonies from students that it is serving them well. What even excites us about it all is the fact that students of the Akropong School for the blind are benefitting from the V-Link booths installed in the school and are now able to connect with their parents and guardians, regularly, to make their academic concerns known to them."