Berekum College of Education ICT centre
An Information and Communication Technology(ICT) centre, established by a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Emeritus George Benneh, at the Berekum College of Education, has been inaugurated.
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Constructed at the cost of GH¢40,000.00, the centre, which has 20 computers and their accessories, is to help teach pupils, students, teachers and the unemployed youth in the Berekum Traditional Area ICT and vocational skills.
As part of the inauguration of the centre,the sod was also cut for the commencement of a permanent building of the centre on a parcel of land donated by the Benneh family at a prime area of the town.
The establishment of the centre, which would include training in the acquisition of a number of vocational skills later, was informed by the fact that more than 30 per cent of the youth in the area were unemployed.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Prof Benneh said the recent rapid technological advancement required graduates who were skilled in ICT.
“With knowledge in ICT, one can stay in Ghana and work to earn a living via the internet in another country”, he said, and called on pupils and students to make good use of the facility to improve their lots.
Prof Benneh said the centre would collaborate with the Kofi Annan ICT Centre in Accra to train the beneficiaries and expressed the hope that other well-meaning people from the area would support in the construction of the permanent building for the centre.
The Vice Principal of the Berekum College of Education, Mr Kenneth Hayford, expressed the hope that other well-to-do citizens from the Berekum area would assist the college in the provision of other needed facilities.
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He said the school was privileged to be associated with the renowned academician and called on the students to take inspiration from the academic achievements of Prof Benneh and strive to achieve higher academic laurels.
A representative of the Omanhene of the Berekum Traditional Area, Nana Ofori Mensa, lauded Prof Benneh for his continuous support for the development of the town.
He observed that the era of chalk and blackboard was almost history now and urged parents to support their children to acquire adequate knowledge in ICT.
Prof Benneh, who was appointed a lecturer at the Geography Department of the University of Ghana, Legon in 1964, rose through the ranks to become the Vice Chancellor in 1992 before retiring in 1996.
He also served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning between 1980 and 1981.
He received the United Nations Global 500 award at the first Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 for his contribution to teaching and research in the field of population and environment.