The ingenuity of an ICT teacher who, in the absence of a computer, draws the modern communication device on a blackboard for lessons is attracting support, as NIIT goes to the school’s aid.
NIIT, aN information technology training institution, is set to donate a number of computers and accessories, IT textbooks, among others to the school.
The viral images of 34-year-old Richard Akoto Appiah – known as Owura Kwadwo Hottish on Facebook – teaching ICT with a sketch of Microsoft Word interface on the blackboard has kickstarted support to the Betenase M/A JHS in the Ashanti Region.
He says the sketch of the device helps the students to have a pictorial idea of a computer, though they have never seen one.
Owura Kwadwo ‘Hottish’ Akoto spends, at least, 15 of the 70-minute lesson period to sketch this Microsoft Word software.
It is one of the tools he has been using to teach students for the past six years he has been in this job.
“I wanted them to have a picture of everything [Microsoft Word interface] because there’s no computer here.
I decided to adopt this drawing thing so that they will know when you are from this step, you move to the next stage,” he said.
Owura also encourages his students to draw computer in their notebooks, though many of them find it difficult to do so.
Thirteen-year-old Emmanuel Baffoe says the closest he has come into contact with a computer is a discarded one on a refuse dump during a vacation trip to Kumasi.
“Computer looks like TV and the mouse looks like stone,” he says as he attempts a description of a computer.
Owura Kwadwo says the absence of computer makes the teaching and learning of ICT a difficult task for him and his students.
“It is very difficult because at the end of the day, they are supposed to be sitting behind the computer. to have the actual feel of the equipment  and see how when they launch the program, it would appear on the computer,” he said.
Besides the absence of computers for over 100 students, there are no ICT textbooks.
Owura Akoto, as an instructor, is the only one who gets the supply of the requisite books.
This situation is common with almost all the ten basic schools in Sekyeredumasi Township.
Despite the serious gap, Owura Akoto is always happy to see some of his students perform well in ICT at the Basic Education Certificate Examinations.
Ejura-Sekyeredumasi Municipality topped the 2017 BECE league table in the Ashanti Region, coming among the best five nationwide.
Though the Municipal Assembly says it spends a lot on education, little or no support goes to ICT development.
Chief Executive of Ejura-Sekyeredumasi, Mohammed Salisu Bamba, says the assembly is encouraged by the teacher’s innovation to invest more in ICT education.
“If you ask me whether we have enough resources, I will say no; we don’t. Myself as Chief Executive, I have not provided computers to any school yet and my predecessors have also not done much.
“Going forward, we should move our attention from the normal provision of school blocks and furniture to also providing computers to the study of ICT”, he explained.