This new trend of increased use of ICT must cause a shift in Ghana’s education strategy.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a unique opportunity for Ghana to make ICT the fulcrum of its policies on education, going forward. This is according to Mr Grant Bulmuo, an expert in education.
He said even though the pandemic has wreaked so much havoc to education, globally, it also brought in its wake some opportunities in the area of ICT that policymakers ought to take advantage of, to reshape the sector.
“I just think that, at the moment, we should be looking at what opportunities the Covid-19 brings to the country”, he said.
While expressing this view in an interview with Ghana Talks Business, he also cautioned against over reliance on technology.
“Technology is not the real thing, it should not be the focus. Technology should be seen as an enabler to change the pace of our education process and progress”, he said.
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Impact of Covid-19 on the education
The impact of the Covid-19 on the education is huge.
Schools across the world have closed down temporarily as part of measures to prevent the spread of the viral disease.
But thanks to technology, most of these schools have migrated their lessons online, relying on Zoom, Google Classroom, Microsoft teams and other electronic platforms to continue with regular school work.
The new normal
This has somewhat brought about a new normal in the education. The sector is now depending heavily on ICT to survive.
This increase in the level of usage of ICT infrastructure in education, the Educationist asserts, should cause a change in Ghana’s education strategy for the future.
“For me, it should be an opportunity for us to begin to shift our strategy when it comes to making decision on education, for the future for the whole country”, he said.
To this end, Mr Bulmuo, called on government to pay attention to the new normal in education. And to advantage of the opportunities it presents to enhance teaching and learning in the country.
“So we should see our wheels of education being inflated as a result of heightened interest in technology”, he asserted.
He added that the pandemic has also re-emphasised the point that education is not only organised in brick structures.
And for developed countries who lacked the necessary infrastructure in the area of education, this new normal in teaching and learning, that is online classes, should be embraced as it will help reduce cost in capital expenditure.
“African countries are struggling with capital to put up schools and schools are not businesses, they are social investments to help transform the nation”, he added.
By Salifu B.B. Moro
