The University of Ghana has installed its special ICT project in a mission to extend its academic programmes. Thanks to the partnership between the Chinese and Ghanaian governments; Chinese government has loaned the government of Ghana a total of $37.5 million for this project.
The modern ICT facilities will be in the institution’s learning centres in Wa, Tamale, Sunyani, Kumasi, Koforidua, Takoradi, as well as at Tsito and the Accra City Campus.
Thanks to this project, 3,000 distance education students will receive 9.7 inch Internet-enabled android tablets preloaded with all the teaching and learning materials; which will enhance teaching and learning by moving from paper-based teaching materials to the e-learning platform.
At the inauguration of the project in Accra, the Project Manager, Dr Sam Somuah, said that each regional learning centre had been provided with a 50-seater computer laboratory and video conference centre connected to a data centre at the Legon campus.
In addition, he said fibre network had been deployed to connect all the regional learning centres and Accra City Campus to the Data Centre at Legon.
A Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the inauguration of the University of Ghana’s distance ICT project would result in an increase in the enrolment of students .
Currently, the tertiary education sector can only accommodate 250,000 while the senior high schools produce more than 840,000 students annually.
Apart from giving a $37.5 million loan to the government of Ghana for the ICT project, the Chinese government has said that it will build a library each year. So far they have built two libraries and more that 500 Chinese government scholarships have been given to Ghanaian students.
For his part, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, commended the government for supporting the university and gave an assurance that the university would continue to produce skilled graduates to promote the country’s development.
