Head teachers urged to upgrade skills in ICT
The National ICT Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Richmond Attah Williams, has advised head teachers of basic schools to upgrade themselves in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) field to remain relevant in the digital world.
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He said the days of log books, registers and cumulative booklets were gradually giving way to computers and electronic devices for recording and processing data.
Addressing the conference of heads of basic schools (COHBS) from the Ga South Municipal Assembly as the guest speaker, to mark the association’s third annual conference, Mr Williams said it was unfortunate that some teachers and heads described themselves as ‘born before computer’ and, therefore, advised heads of basic schools to “get enrolled in computer training programmes to grasp the basic things that you need in daily operations”.
The conference
The conference, which was on the theme: “Enhancing school management practices through ICT: The role of the basic school head teacher,” brought together heads of basic schools in the Ga South Municipality to share experiences and learn from best practices.
Effort by GES
Mr Williams said the GES, with support from the Ministry of Education, was vigorously pursuing a series of school computerisation programmes, such as the ICT for All programme, where head teachers and teachers were being trained in ICT.
He assured that the GES and its key stakeholders would help train the head teachers to embrace and use ICT confidently to do their work.
Role of head teachers
Mr Williams acknowledged that the head teacher of a basic school represented the single most influential stakeholder in the school setting, and added that one of the most critical tools for quality education delivery in the basic school was good leadership.
“But with the advent of ICT, knowledge and skills in ICT goes to enhance his or her management skills. It helps in speeding up the attainment of teaching and learning targets, as well as the performance of the schools,” Mr Williams explained.
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He said that involved strengthened monitoring and supervision of teaching and learning and co-curricular activities by the head teacher of the school, accountability to teaching process, teacher regularity and punctuality, inspection of teacher’s ICT notebooks, class assignments, homework and project work on using ICT software.
The Ga South Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Margaret Frempong-Kore, said head teachers in basic schools were the drivers of education, describing them as “very important.”
She outlined their role as making sure that teachers did their work, and added that managing a school in absentia was the worst offence in the educational sector.
Mrs Margaret Frempong-Kore advised them to always plan their time and resources and also delegate duties, advising them to not “carry all the duties alone. The best head teacher delegates responsibilities.”
“Don’t fear that allowing your assistants or forming committees to carry out duties will mean them taking over your job,” she told the head teachers.
Communique
In a communiqué, read by the Secretary of COHBS, Ga South branch, Mr George Botchway, the head teachers called on the GES to increase the number of computers supplied to schools for effective teaching and learning.
The head teachers expressed concern that computers supplied to schools easily broke down and when they were sent to the companies for repairs, the charges were too much for the schools to afford.
They, therefore, appealed to the GES to supply schools with durable computers, since some of the computers were non-functional even before they got to the school.
Writer’s Email: severious.dery@graphic.com.gh