Let’s build capacity of teachers, students digitally - Mfantsipim old students advocate

Panellists at this year’s Mfantsipim Old Boys Association (MOBA) engagement series have advocated for the capacity of both teachers and students to be built to enable them to be technologically savvy to improve quality and ensure sustainable education.

 They were of the view that until a human-centred approach was adopted to bring everybody on board, it would be difficult to ensure the successful integration and implementation of digital technologies in the education sector for positive outcomes.

The speakers were a Senior Lecturer and Innovations Coordinator at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Dr George Acheampong; a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anaesthesia, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana, Dr Christian Owoo; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Margins Group Limited, Moses Kwesi Baiden, and Nana Dr Kofi Annan Afer I, an I.T Consultant.

The eighth engagement series was on the theme “The role of digital technology in redefining quality and sustainable education in Ghana”.

It was organised by the old students of MOBA as part of efforts to promote discourse on pertinent national issues and also to deepen the bond among past students. 

Entrepreneurship

Dr George Acheampong explained that in the implementation of digital technology, Western-style educational systems must not be imposed on Ghanaian students.

Rather, he said, the county’s educational system needed to align with local needs and norms to make the implementation effective.

“We can normalise entrepreneurship and innovation education among the young people by reconnecting them to their local communities,” he said.

In the education sector, Nana Afer I noted that the technological revolution was permeating every aspect of human endeavour, hence it was time for the Ghana Education Service (GES) to allow students to use their mobile phones.

He further stressed the need for teachers to also be equipped with the use of those digital devices needed to enhance teaching and learning.

“Human factor is key to the adoption of technology, because if the people who will be at the forefront are not well equipped and involved in the entire process, then we will find it difficult to actualise these goals of implementation,” he said.

Dr Owoo said to ensure quality health care, students in the health sector must also be trained on the use of digital platforms to deliver health care.  

“We need to train our health professionals, because too much emphasis is on knowledge than competency, to use these platforms”, he said.

For his part, Mr Baiden underscored the need for Ghana to be a vanguard of new technologies by allowing local businesses to develop these digital technologies.