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.