The government has partnered with Google to expand mother tongue language content on learning tablets to include Ghana’s top official languages, Education Minister Hon. Haruna Iddrisu announced.
“And they committed that they will do that. They are working very closely with the industry of Ghana and the industry of science and technology,” Iddrisu said, adding that the government is also expanding investments in artificial intelligence to facilitate digital learning.
Speaking to Parliament, the Minister stated that the government will prioritize digital education infrastructure despite ongoing budgetary constraints and significant deficits in basic school infrastructure.
Haruna Iddrisu noted that every ministry must implement policies subject to its available budgetary allocation.
“Within those budgetary constraints, we’ll prioritize investment in digital education,” Iddrisu told the House. “I’ve said that we have to revise curriculum. I’m sure the young learners here would have loved to have tablets so that they themselves can begin to use it and learn with it.”
Addressing the logistical challenges facing the rollout, Iddrisu highlighted the widespread lack of utilities in rural areas.
“As a country, we need to invest more on digital education infrastructure,” he said. “There are many schools in Ghana which are not even connected to electricity. Let alone connected to the internet. How are you going to have access?”
To bypass connectivity barriers, the Minister explained that the government is exploring offline technology options for students. “There’s now what we call offline grades of some of these tablets. They don’t need electricity connectivity. They may be able to do mother tongue language,” he said.
“So Mr Speaker, we’ll do our best within the constraints of budget,” Iddrisu concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
