Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the integral subjects in our basic school system in Ghana. The famous 2007 Educational Reform gave birth to the introduction of ICT into the basic school system. Consequently, it has become examinable in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) organized by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) since 2011.

General aims of teaching and learning ICT in basic schools

The general aims of the 2007 ICT syllabus as stated by the Curriculum Research and Development Division (CRDD) of the Ghana Education Service (GES) are as follows:

Acquire basic ICT literacy.

Communicate effectively using ICT tools.

Develop interest and acquire skills in the use of the internet.

Develop basic ethics in using ICT tools.

Acquire basic mouse and keyboarding skills.

With regards to the above aims, structures must be put in place to enable their effective implementation. Unfortunately, there have been some challenges and bottlenecks.

One of the commonest challenges is the ever changing face of ICT globally. This usually places a burden on institutions and companies to continuously upgrade and update their systems to meet the requirements of these changes.

However, since the introduction of ICT in basic schools almost a decade ago, there has been little or no revision of the course materials and course books to meet the ever-changing face of ICT.

The course books on ICT in the basic schools predominantly thread on Microsoft Windows XP operating system which was released as far back as August, 2001.

However, Microsoft Windows XP became obsolete when Microsoft Windows 7 was released in July, 2009 less than three years after its predecessor, Microsoft Windows Vista. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Microsoft stopped providing support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. This has rendered Windows XP susceptible to attacks by all types of malware.

In addition to the above, the recent training of basic school teachers by the Government of Ghana in collaboration with rLG Institute of Technology was not based on Windows XP, but rather Windows 7.

Recommendations

All systems in schools should be upgraded to Microsoft Windows 7, which is an intermediate to Windows XP and the latest Microsoft Windows 10 with regards to features and usage.

Course materials like syllabuses and text books should be reviewed to meet the features and usage of Windows 7 operating system.

Resource teachers should be trained (or retrained) to equip them to teach and train other teachers on the new reform.

ICT centres should be equipped with modern systems which have the capacities to contain system requirements of future operating systems and softwares.

There should be a periodic revision of course materials to match the changing face of ICT globally.

“If it must be done, it must be done well”

Written by Godwin Tetteh Quaye

(Teacher & IT Professional)

Email: shocklinks@gmail.com