The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis has commissioned a dedicated block of classrooms to facilitate digital smart-learning at Opoku Ware Senior High School in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, as part of the Ghana Smart Classrooms Project.
The new 12-classroom block replaces a 2-classroom facility which was used for the same purpose. Each classroom is a state-of-the-art learning environment, thoughtfully designed to equip students with the skills, tools, and confidence needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
The classrooms have interactive smart screens for engaging instruction, tablets for every student to support active, hands-on learning as well as reliable internet connectivity to unlock global knowledge.
There are solar-powered charging cabinets to ensure sustainable energy use and a modern, ergonomic furniture that fosters comfort and focus.
Through the facility, teachers will be empowered to deliver content via the KATON360 Learning Management System a robust digital platform that enables interactive teaching, real-time assessments, digital resources, and personalized learning journeys.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Davis said the new initiative seeks affirm the notion that classrooms of today are no longer defined by four walls and a chalkboard, rather a dynamic, connected space where information meets innovation, and where technology enhances curiosity, collaboration, and comprehension.
He reiterated the commitment by government to continue the implementation of good policies and programmes initiated by its predecessors to ensure value for money and guaranteed returns.
“To this end, the GES will ensure that these initiatives will continue until every student gains access to tablets and their related accessories intended to aid knowledge acquisition”, he said.
Prof. Davis indicated government’s resolve to prioritize robust internet infrastructure as a critical enabler of the smart school experience.
He also hinted government is considering stringent measures to guide digital education as response to security, safety and privacy concerns.
The President of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Rev. Father Stephen Owusu Sekyere described the initiative as “a bold decision by government to provide world-class education to Ghanaian children”.
He however insisted the project should not benefit only some schools and deprive others.
“The smart classrooms project must be extended to every single second cycle school in the country, it doesn’t matter where the school is, whether it has electricity or not…the student in that village, in that school must benefit from this project and this is my passionate appeal”
The Ghana Smart Classrooms Project also seeks to covert existing facilities in public senior high schools into smart environments for digital learning while new structures would be built for schools in some areas.
Under the project, students are to be given free computer tablets to facilitate learning. Teachers and staff of the Ghana Education Service would also be provided with the laptops to facilitate research, teaching and learning under a separate arrangement.
Both the laptops and the tablets contain downloaded learning materials, including textbooks.
The initiative is intended to strengthen and enhance quality delivery and outcomes in the beneficiary schools.
The event was attended by students and heads of Senior High Schools in the region.
It was on the theme “Smart Schools; the future of digital education”.
source :www.kumasimail.com
