Babianeha (B/A), Aug. 02, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Brong-Ahaf= o Regional Minister, said on Monday the Government would continue to encourag= e the nation's private development partners in their contribution towards educating the youth in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). He said ICT/Computer education played a very important role in nationa= l development all over the world and gave the assurance that the government would not shirk its responsibility of ensuring that majority of youth becam= e computer literate so they could adequately play their expected roles in nation building.

Mr Nyamekye-Marfo was speaking at the commissioning of a GH¢20,000 ICT/Library Project at Babianeha, jointly sponsored by the Opuni family of Babianeha in Dormaa Municipality and PAVLIS Global Technological Leadership Programme of Michigan Technology University, USA. The Opuni family bore the cost of the construction of the four-room project while the Americans provided the computers and books. Dormaa Municipal Assembly gave 40 bags of cement for the project while the people assisted with communal labour.

Mr Nyamekye-Marfo thanked Dr. Emmanuel Opuni-Frimpong, Ghana Co-ordinator of PAVLIS Global Technological Leadership Programme and a citizen of Babianeha, for his linkage with the Americans culminating in the establishment of the library which would benefit two other nearby schools namely, Kofi Badukrom and Benekrom. Mr Nyamekye Marfo commended the chief and elders of Babianeha for releasing a parcel of land for the project and expressed the hope that this would not be their last developmental help to the community. He noted that among the examining subjects in the recent Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was ICT and expressed worry if a candidate who had never set eyes on a computer could answer any ICT question.

"It is in view of the plight of such computer-illiterate BECE candidates that the government will need the support of NGOs and other development partners to help provide especially basic educational institutions with ICT/Computer facilities," he said. The Regional Minister urged children in the three communities to take advantage of the ICT/Computer Project to become abreast with the global technological challenge.

Mr Nyamekye Marfo advised parents to train their children in a way tha= t they would not fall prey to bad company.

Ms Rebecca Sprys, leader of the 10 students from Michigan Technology University, said the Programme had been operating in Ghana for four years now, with Kumasi, Sunyani and Babianeha being the lucky beneficiaries. She indicated that Ghana was the first country in Africa to benefit from PAVLIS Programmes. In a welcoming address, Mr Kwadwo Opuni-Frempong, a member of the Opun= i family, said the Project would help pupils and students of the Municipal Assembly Primary and Junior High School (JHS), Merit International School and Islamic Primary and Methodist Primary/JHS at Kofi Badukrom, as well as the Municipal Assembly Primary School and Nana Kyerewaa Preparatory School at Benekrom. He expressed regret that Babianeha JHS, established in 1974 and had been serving schools in the area as WAEC's Examination Centre, continued to deteriorate and urgently needed to be rehabilitated. Mr Opuni-Frempong appealed to the Regional Minister to assist in this direction. Mr Vincent Oppong Asamoah, Dormaa Municipal Chief Executive, appealed for unity among the people so the area could achieve lasting peace for the attainment of developmental goals. Nana Inkumsah Agyemang, chief of Babianeha, who presided, commended Dr Opuni-Frempong for initiating the project and promised to release more parcels of land for similar or other projects in future.