4,946 school children benefit from free computer training

About four thousand, nine hundred and forty-six (4,946) school children in eight districts of the Ashanti, Western and the Brong-Ahafo Regions, have benefited from

It was the first time many of them in the Bekwai and Offinso municipalities, Sekyere North, Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai, Bosomtwe, Atwima-Mponua, New Edubiase and Goaso districts were using the computer and the internet.

The programme targets children from poor backgrounds.

This was made possible by the Otumfuo-Agroecom Mobile Library Project (OAMLP) - a subsidiary of the Otumfuo Charity Foundation, in partnership with Agroecom Ghana Limited, a licensed cocoa buying company (LBC).

Mr. Muhammadu Muzzammil, Country Coordinator Agroecom Ghana Ltd, said the goal was to assist ensure that children in deprived communities had the same learning conditions as those in the cities and urban areas.

It was also to encourage basic school children to adopt the habit of reading and the use of information and communication technology (ICT).

He added that the project was playing vital role to bridge the gap between pupils in urban communities and their counterparts in the hard-to-reach areas.

OAMLP is focusing priority on reading, promotion of ICT and good agricultural practices.

Mr. Muzzammil expressed concern about the situation where ICT teachers in some of the schools, did not have the relevant tools - textbooks and computers to effectively teach the examinable subject.

He said it was this challenge that the mobile library project was helping to address by providing basic academic resources including reading books and computer lessons to children in basic and senior high schools.

With the help of generators, staff of the project spend days in communities where the children and other members of the community, would take turns to use computers, access internet services and read variety of library books.

The LBC had in last June, presented a cheque for GHc1.4 million to the Otumfuo Charity Foundation to support the project for the next four years.

The money was meant for the purchase of a pickup vehicle, a cargo van, 60 laptop computers, generator, two projectors and screens and video camera among other things.

Agroecom Ghana Ltd has been operating in Ghana since year 2013 when it took over Armajaro's Global Cocoa.

Mr. Muzzammil said it had over the period invested close to US$40 million in the country - supplying clean drinking water, school facilities and health care.