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The Importance of ICT In Governance, Security, and Safety Issues

by with No Comment AwarnessEducation

Importance of Security    

Governance, security, and safety issues in the societies of our world have been through many phases and are very important. The security of nations and their people, especially in these times, when religious fundamentalism and extremism, and terrorism are on the increase is very paramount. Nations and their governments will stop at nothing to ensure that their people are safe, and that, their territorial integrity is never breached. Governance issues are more than before been discussed and scrutinized.

Good Governance

Good governance is an issue of global interest. The Fraternity of nations means that whatever happens in Afghanistan is of equal concern to the world just like what happens in Guinea. No business wants to invest and base in an unsafe country. Job seekers do not enjoy working in an unsafe environment.

In this article, I shall discuss the role and impact of ICT in Governance, security, and safety issues.

Some Merits of ICT in the Governing and Security “ Business”                                   

ICT helps reduce or combat corruption in governance. In Rwanda, it is an established fact that, in order to check corruption and improve efficiency and transparency, a lot of the human interface has been removed and replaced by digital interfaces eg., in the acquisition of land, the process has been automated. The automation of the tax regime is another way of ensuring efficiency, transparency and accountability. By effectively deploying ICT in governance, citizenship participation can also be greatly enhanced.

Security alarm systems and tracking devices are preventing and tracking thefts and criminals. National security apparatus of nations rely heavily on ICT-based gadgets to detect security threats, including terror threats. Critical installations are fitted with IT tools so as to protect them. Militaries of advanced nations are deploying precision missiles, drones, and even robotic dogs among others for maneuvers and surveillance.

Ghana as a Case Study

During the 2021 Ghana housing and population census, enumerators were trained on how to do their enumeration using tablets. This has not been the story growing up in Ghana. The enumerators in times past used to do their work using forms in hardcopy. That certainly took more time and was more difficult to do.  Citizen participation was greatly enhanced too. Elections around the world, especially in Ghana have seen a taste of ICT as verification was done digitally in the 2020 general elections. The drawing of policies has not been this easy.

ICT In Day-to-Day Administration of  Regional and Sub Regional Peace and Cooperation

Information handling and dissemination have become easier. Governments around the world have websites with loads of relevant information for the public. It is common to behold world leaders and leaders of nations even within West Africa holding important deliberations on current trendy political issues like the coup in Guinea via conferencing apps such as Zoom, Skype, etc.

Louder Voices of the Masses in Decision Making By ICT

With ICT, particularly, on social media, the governed or the ruled can be heard more conspicuously as they make their opinions known. Debating controversial policies to see if they sit well with the populace or not before rollout has also become more popular with the citizens because of social media and digital TV and radio.

The Digital Divide a Real Challenge

Now, how do the young people of developing countries especially, position themselves so as to be able to continue to use ICT, whether as the governed or governing to positively impact society in governance, security and safety matters? They, no doubt need to have some form of ICT knowledge, skills, and competencies. It is however very well known that many developing countries are not able to provide the necessary environment in their basic schools to satisfy this condition.

Lit Empowerment and Support Incorporated as  a Wheel to Bridging the Digital Divide

To help create this ICT learning Environment in their own small way, Lit Empowerment and Support Incorporated, a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that focuses on alleviating the plight of impoverished schools in the area of ICTs in Ghana, hereby respectfully calls on anyone that wishes and is capable to join them in this noble cause by providing any form of assistance to it.

The assistance could be in the form of cash donations, grants, sponsorships, partnerships, donations of ICT and IT tools, facilities such as ICT Labs, etc. Lit Empowerment  Support Incorporated believes that, together, they would be able to help position some young people to actually take advantage of ICT to positively impact society in governance, security, and safety matters.

More Merits of ICT in Governance and Security, safety-Policing

Again, citizens have in recent times been able to put a searchlight on the activities of law enforcers (police) with regard to excesses while performing their duties. Cell phones with built-in cameras enable this. Body cams of security personnel elsewhere in the world have aided investigations and provided answers to pertinent questions about certain crimes and occurrences that would have been hard to solve minus the body cams. Some advanced countries are seriously conceiving and piloting groundbreaking innovations in fire fighting and emergency situations.

Early Warning Systems

Early warning systems are being deployed to forewarn jurisdictions of impending imminent natural disasters. Earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tornadoes, and such like them. In social security, ICTs are helping nations manage and use funds more profitably. In monitoring and evaluation, the GES and other agencies have taken to ICT. Facial and hand recognition technologies are being built as security features for critical installations and infrastructure. Need I say more?

Educational Content and Broadcasts

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Ghana, the government kept in touch with the people closely, giving updates and announcing interventions. The Ghana public broadcaster, GBC was tasked to do public broadcasts of curriculum instructions for all students at home due to the lockdown. Schools that had basic IT tools resorted to virtual classrooms to teach their pupils and students. Currently, there’s a raffle draw being run by The Daily Graphic, the number one state-owned daily newspaper on its anniversary. A man in far away Sunyani won a car because he was able to enter the draw by means of his cell phone.

ICT in Health Insurance Administration

Still, in Ghana, the much-acclaimed health insurance scheme has taken a digital dimension. Clients can perform some actions right on their phones, tabs, and laptops without necessarily visiting the NHIS National Health Insurance offices. All of these innovations in ICT have the ability to promote transparency, lower corruption tendencies, and increase citizen participation and efficiency.

    

The Importance of ICT in Quality Health Delivery

The Importance of ICT in Quality Health Delivery

by with No Comment AwarnessHealth

What Is Health?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. All over the world, health care remains a priority. Nations and authorities around the world who fail to invest in the health of their people are often robbed of precious human resources.

Health is so important that, without it, the economies of nations will grind to a halt. Our world has had to battle many pandemics and epidemics for survival. We all saw how the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the economy of our world, almost bringing it to a standstill.

Conferences, entertainment, and sporting events have had to be held remotely and without fans and audiences having to present themselves physically. Numerous organizations and businesses had to lay off workers. Others have had to work from home. Many countries have had to lock down for several months to minimize the spread and more deaths. There won’t be enough space and time to revisit the HIV-AIDS outbreak, Ebola, and even the era of the Bubonic Plague and the devastation they caused the world.

The Importance of Health in Our World

It is clear that health and good health for that matter is paramount for humanity and development. Due to the fact that health is rated high in the scheme of things, serious efforts are always made to deliver quality health services to the people of the world. It must be reiterated however that health delivery has not been the same since the advent of ICTs as an integral part of living. With the advent of ICT, many tasks which used to be done manually are now being done by ICT Systems and tools. In the area of diagnosis, intricate and accurate IT tools are helping medics to work faster and easier.

                        ICT In Diagnosis

Apart from the X-ray machine, many more improved scan machines have been developed and built. The development of these IT-based tools has significantly improved diagnostic outcomes and results. Some of these IT-based devices don’t only diagnose or help diagnosis, they actually go on to suggest what kind of medication and/or treatment might be appropriate for a diagnosis. IT-based tools that can just be strapped to one’s wrist and or other body parts to detect specific things like blood pulse and, or high blood pressure and the like are available.

ICT In Medication, Treatment, and Medical Supplies

Medication and treatment have not been left out of the ICT in the health revolution. Several machines and gadgets used in treatment procedures are IT-based and are improving health delivery. Drones are being deployed to lift and deliver blood and other health products to remote settlements and populations. This has lowered risk and cut down response time in emergency situations. In other cases, the adoption and integration of IT tools have improved error margins and ensured accuracy and efficiency. Generally speaking, CT Systems and tools are revolutionizing the health care terrain. State-of-the-art medical facilities and equipment with built-in ICT Components are spearheading prevention, fast-tracking diagnosis and treatment of ailments, enhancing medication and speeding up supplies, and easing the work of health practitioners.

              Basic Training in ICT Essential

As simple as some of these IT systems and tools are, it’s beneficial for the young people, especially of developing countries to be given the opportunity to, at least get used to the basics. For many of these young ones, the best place they can have this opportunity is while they are in school, basic school.

Drudgery Associated with Manual Processes Eliminated

Issuing receipts and invoices at health facilities and pharmacy shops has taken a whole new dimension. The drudgery associated with the manual old method is history. This write-up cannot be concluded without making mention of eHealth-medical care via the internet. So you see, ICT is a speed vehicle by which health can get to the masses. Young people, especially from developing countries would be better placed to walk in the paths of eHealth and all the issues discussed here if they can become conversant with the basics of ICT today.

How Lit Empowerment and Support Intends to Help

Lit Empowerment Support and Incorporated is a non-governmental organization that is striving hard to improve access to computers and IT tools for young people, especially in Ghana. The organization appeals to all and sundry to help alleviate the plight of rural schools in the area of computers. Lit Empowerment Support and Incorporated would be more than grateful to receive grants, sponsorships, partnerships, and donations of cash, computers, and anything that is able to help in the process. Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we can help.

Importance of ICT In Education

Importance Of ICT In Education For The Youth

by with No Comment Education

What Is Education?

Education is defined as the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially, in a school or university. It is also defined as a worthwhile pursuit by one social scientist. The importance and benefits of education can not be overemphasized.

Formal Education Trends in Ghana Some Twenty Years Ago

In Ghana for example, formal education started somewhere in the 15th through to the 18th centuries respectively. It was started by the western missionaries and traders. In those days, formal schools provided book based training. Since then, textbooks, notebooks and exercise books have been the only known ways of accomplishing academic work. Students used to copy notes given by teachers into their notebooks from a blackboard. Large spaces were needed to keep books. Books that were not stored well degenerated in no time. Valuable certificates and documents had to be kept in saves, drawers, files, cardboard boxes, trunks, wooden boxes depending on who was saving a document and which of these saving methods was available to him/her. Students in those times, especially in the developing countries such as Ghana had to provide hand sewn dusters as their contributions to the education delivery process. Classroom facilitators used to inhale chalk dust as they taught.Students,in their quest to blacken the boards and to keep them black would fall on old dry cells to keep the blackboards in shape. Students had to cart heavy loads of books to and fro school, especially those who were in the colleges and the universities. That happened during vacations.

ICT Prospects In Education

Even though ICTs have been around for quite a long time in the Americas and the West,ICTs in education only began to make inroads seriously in some parts of Africa barely two decades ago. Even in the face of this fact, many countries, including Ghana are yet to fully take advantage of ICT in education.
In this article, I will attempt to look into details, the Importance of ICT in education, especially for the youth.

The Role of ICT In Teaching and Learning

ICT aids in teaching and learning significantly. It is common knowledge in the era we are in that, teachers can make use of ICT to prepare for lessons. Teachers can carry out research and do advanced preparation using search engines and various educational apps.So can students also access loads of information by resorting to ICTs.There are several apps that are loaded with school curricula and many more. Teachers could as well use IT tools to create and prepare teaching learning materials (TLMs).IT tools themselves could be used in actual teaching and learning. Electronic or smart classrooms and virtual classrooms enable facilitators and learners to instruct and receive instruction by means of electronic boards, projectors, desktops, laptops, tabs, pads and cell phones among others.Trachers again, can employ the services of IT tools to compute students scores in class assignments, projects, tests and examinations. The preparation of terminal reports and cumulative records cannot be left out at all.

Easing Education Delivery Processes Through ICT

School administrators, secretaries and accountants can have their work eased significantly, as IT tools are available for exploitation. In School student admission procedures and processes and related areas, the (CSSP)Computerized School Selection Program conceptualized and implemented in Ghana for instance rings a loud bell for the topic in discussion. The program selects secondary schools for prospecting Junior High School students who aim to continue their education to the next level using ICTs instead of the manual method used in the past.

ICT indeed plays a major role in education delivery. It is therefore expedient that the youth poise themselves to maximize the opportunities presented in ICT in terms of education delivery. I personally wonder why students are found wanton when it comes to examinations. In an era where, there are apps developed to help in calculating math problems, it is an understatement to say that students should be excelling in their academics more than those who attended school when ICTs were not integrated into education.

Remote Education Made Possible By ICT

Online schools and universities are rife, and thriving. All one has to do is to apply online. The applicant is interviewed online and boom, he/she is in school. What is amazing is that, assignments,tests,project works and indeed, everything is done online. Certificates and degrees are awarded at the end of the course.

During the COVID-19 outbreak up to now, many colleges and universities had to resort to online classes. Students received instruction whilst in the comfort of their homes. Virtual classrooms are on the increase.

Electronic Saves, Folders, Files and eBooks

ICTs are being used to create folders and files to save large volumes of documents and the like. The role of eBooks cannot be ignored. Several books can be put on a small IT tool. Due to this, nobody carries large volumes of heavy books in hardcopy around any longer. Those who still do it probably are those who claim they were born before computer age(BBC). These are people who are in their fifties upwards, and who have given up on learning new skills, especially computer skills. It is also true that, some of these people do not have access to computers. This sad turn of events affect some of the young people as well.

Lit Empowerment Support Incorporated-Who are We?

It is this pathetic situation of apathy by those who should be providing computers and the necessary IT tools, and the general serious poverty levels, which has made it difficult for most of the populace, especially the youth to acquire computers that has spurred Lit Empowerment Support Incorporated,a non profit,non governmental organization which occupies itself with assisting communities, schools and students to bridge the digital gap in education especially in rural Ghana to try to intervene. Due to the non profit,non governmental nature of the organization, resources are scarce. Lit Empowerment Support Incorporated would be grateful if philanthropists,benovelent organizations, educational institutions, businesses and individuals can come to their aid by giving them grants, donating IT tools so as to afford the organization the impetus to continue with its attempt to salvage the situation.

Education, A Means To An End?

It is undisputable that people just don’t get education for getting sake.Eduucation also involves training, acquisition of skills,, mentoring, tutelage and imbibing of competencies so that the learner can apply these to solving societal problems. So therefore, education can be defined also, as, the acquisition of skills and competencies, mentoring, training and tutelage towards the pursuance of a career path in order to help correct and solve societal ills. It is evident then that people get educated to carve out a living by the vocations they pursue in school. We should remind ourselves that, even before 3 the inception of formal education, informal education, which has thrived and evolved into apprenticeships and the like, basically entailed training and acquisition of skills.

ICT As A Vehicle of Trade Acquisition

Typically, in Africa and other parts of the world, a father who was a farmer for example, trained his children to be farmers. A mother who was a fishmonger, made her daughters walk in her steps. By so doing, family businesses were built and ran. The learners or apprentices learned these new skills by observation and practice. I have seen informal car builders use ICT in their work. So apart from the high skilled ICT jobs that were mentioned in our last article, “The Importance of ICT in Job Creation”, such as ICT teachers, data scientists, cyber security analysts, database administrators, and so on ,which are jobs or careers that come about as a result of ICT education, it is imperative to remind ourselves that those in the informal area also benefit from ICTs, with regards to their training.

Do It Yourself-ICT As An Integral Agent

Many websites, portals and apps are training many people to learn new skills and competencies by just following instructions and demonstrations online. These types of training have ,and are equipping numerous people, especially the youth, with handy livelihoods.

ICT, A Tool For Education and Information Dissemination

Just about two decades ago, the only media for education and information dissemination in most developing countries, were via radio and TV.Today, governments, organizations, all manner of institutions, corporate bodies, businesses and individuals can educate the masses on any subject of interest through ICTs. It has been said time and number that the main principles underlying the fourth estate of the realm-the media are; to inform, to educate, and to entertain. Certainly, information is some sort of education. In other words, we can say education thrives on information. No doubt,TV sets have been upgraded to digital status. Traditional TV stations are further booking slots on digital platforms. Even newspapers are becoming electronic. They can simply be accessed on IT tools.