Some education technology experts have urged the government to consider a policy on the use of open educational resources (OERs) for teaching and learning in Ghana.
Speaking on how Ghana can harness OERs to extend access as part of the EdTech Monday segment on the Citi Breakfast Show, Dr Josephine Larbi-Apau, an Instructional Technologist, said a policy would help the education sector better leverage ICT training.
“The emphasis has been on learning ICT, so we have a whole lot of courses on computer science and engineering, but we are not using the technology for pedagogy.”
Dr. Larbi-Apau expects that a possible policy will also provide for the training of teachers to use OERs and “guide the use of these materials as soon as possible.”
“People do not know how to deliver in the classroom especially in the higher educational system so how are they going to use these materials?” she said.
In addition, Dr. Larbi-Apau said the policy will “empower the educational institutions to have the freedom and options to use some of these materials to supplement what they are doing.”
On the same platform, Dr Sam Awuku, an advisor with T-Tel, underscored the need for Ghana “to be able to integrate these materials into the day-to-day teaching practice.”
He said the policy must be one that is “implementable; a policy that comes with a strategy and plan; a policy that is costed.”
“That is the way we can leverage the use of OERs,” he added.
About the Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organisations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organisation with its own Board of Directors and management.
In Ghana, after more than a decade working with the private sector and government to promote financial inclusion and education through its Scholars Program, the Mastercard Foundation launched Young Africa Works, a 10-year strategy to enable 3 million young Ghanaians, particularly young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.
Young Africa Works in Ghana aims to:
- Enable the growth of women-owned enterprises through business development services, access to finance, and access to markets.
- Enable young people to acquire skills that are needed by businesses in growing sectors of the economy and strengthen the quality of education to prepare students for the world of work.
- Scale digital training and strengthen technology-focused employment opportunities.
EdTech Monday is one of the initiatives of the Foundation’s Regional Centre for Teaching and Learning in ICT aimed at leveraging technology to advance teaching and Learning.
