Professor Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), has called for the integration of e-learning into the education system to maximize time spent outside of class hours and improve learning outcomes.
He said it was even more compelling with the dual-track system, which would engage students at home.
Prof. Nyarko made the call during the 51st Accra Labone High School Speeches and Awards Day on the theme: “Changing Trends in Our Current Education System: Technology as a Useful Tool”.
“We must not ignore the fact that our children and students have already embraced technology and are reaping the effects of the negative side of technology,” he said.
Some students had become addicted to social media platforms and spent hours posting and chatting, denying them the chance to read background material, Prof Nyarko said.
While the rest of the world has integrated technology into teaching and learning to improve students’ ability to grasp complex ideas and challenging content using technology, Ghana has not gone beyond the of the board and the marker, he said.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel; we don’t have a completely dark situation on our hands. We need to find meaning in our vision and theme and move…to action while keeping a close eye on global trends,” he said.
Professor Nyarko said that over the years, technology has become an integral part of the tools of the educator and the educated around the world.
“However, in our part of the world, our actions and inactions may suggest that we have become resistant to the changing global trend in education,” he said.
“There are times when change becomes unavoidable and wasting that opportunity could have far-reaching consequences.”
“If there is anything that deserves our efforts and our energies, as a country and as individuals, it is a quality education for our children”.
For all intents and purposes, quality education should be measured by the ability to solve problems and be globally competitive, Professor Nyarko said.
“Our school vision demands it of us, Sustainable Development Goal number four demands it of us, the theme of this occasion demands it of us.”
Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwaah, Director General of the Ghana Education Service, in an address read on his behalf, said the theme was appropriate given the crucial role technology plays in the education system.
“We are in a generation where technology has surrounded us on all sides, especially during these critical times of COVID-19, where workgroups, organizations and individuals are forced to devise different ways to solve problems,” did he declare.
The national distance learning and open learning program involving the production of audio-visual lessons is clear evidence of how technology can improve learning outcomes, he said.
“Technology has indeed created space for teachers to receive ICT training to help them develop effective teaching techniques,” he added.
Mrs. Cynthia Obuo Nti, the Head of School, listed some of the challenges facing the school, including the block of eight units for staff, a GETFund project, which had been stalled for more than 10 years, the supply of a school vehicle and renovation of the science laboratory and the dining room.
She commended the different age groups for their immense contributions to the development of the school.
Special prizes were awarded to students who excelled during the academic year.
Source: GNA
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