Imagine being taught by your own peers, enhancing your grasp of the subject matter earlier and more effectively.
This is the innovative approach embraced by the students at Northern College of Science and Technology with their ICT on Wheels project, which aims to teach basic ICT skills to students in the Yendi Municipality as they prepare for the Basic Education Certificate Exams (BECE).
In Ghana, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become integral to daily life, with many relying on it to simplify and improve their lives. However, for children in the Yendi Municipality, access to ICT education has been limited—until now.
The Northern College of Science and Technology has launched the ICT on Wheels initiative to bridge this gap.
The project equips students with the necessary ICT knowledge, enabling them to share their learning with their peers. The school utilizes a van outfitted with computers powered by solar energy and furnished to accommodate a class of 30 students.
This mobile classroom can be deployed in schools lacking electricity or adequate furniture.
Recently, the ICT on Wheels van arrived at Kulkpeni Junior High School (JHS) in Yendi. Within just thirty minutes, the van was set up and ready for lessons.
Students from Northern College of Science and Technology, Alhassan Rim Nassara and Ephraim Gyamfi, sare leading the instruction, teaching their peers everything they need to know about ICT in both English and native Ghanaian languages for better understanding.
“It’s been wonderful,” said Nassara. “They listen and pay attention while you teach them. We teach them Excel, computer systems, both hardware and software. Some of the students respond quite well. The project has helped students who have not even seen a computer before, so we teach them practical skills as they prepare for the exams.”
For many students at Kulkpeni JHS, this initiative represents a rare opportunity to interact with and use a computer.
“We’ve learnt about computers, software, and hardware. This will help us as we prepare for our exams. It’s the first time we are getting close to a computer. I had seen my colleagues use them, and I’m glad the ICT on Wheels project has come to help us. It’s great learning from my peers. It made it easier to understand,” said one student.
The ICT Coordinator for Northern College of Science and Technology, Shadrach Appiah, explained why students are used to teach their peers.
“We use the students to teach other students because it is easier for peer review and also gives the new learner some respite. We’re also using the opportunity to teach our students how to give back to the communities they came from.”
The Assistant Headmaster of Kulkpeni JHS expressed excitement about the initiative.
“This is very beneficial to the students because this is the first time they’ve laid their hands on computers. We’ve been teaching them theoretically for a while, but today, they’ve had practical lessons. The students had never seen a mouse and didn’t know what a system unit was. The ICT on Wheels project is a good one and should be applauded.”
Implemented with support from the Ghana Education Service, authorities at Northern College of Science and Technology hope to replicate the ICT on Wheels project in other schools, making ICT teaching and learning more accessible and effective.