However, until recently, the school faced a major challenge in providing quality education in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to its students. Although Ghana has already implemented the mandatory National ICT Curriculum since 2008, digital skills attainment remains at challenging low levels of 12% for 15–24-year-olds** because of the lack of proper facilities at schools. St. Martins Senior High School was no exception. The school had only one computer lab for 2,000 students, and due to lacking maintenance resources, this lab was not even functioning.
This is where RecellGhana Computerlabs came in. RecellGhana Computerlabs is a social enterprise that provides Computerlabs-as-a-Service to schools in Ghana. With our Computerlabs, schools can access high-quality computers, internet, and maintenance services at an affordable price. Our Computerlabs are designed to support the teaching and learning of the National ICT Curriculum, including the electives on Databases and Coding. Our Computerlabs also come with free quality-assured curriculum resources that can be accessed by educators via online or offline platforms.
We met Honourable Frank Annoh-Dompreh, a politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for the area who is passionate about education. He wants to help students learn more about computers and technology. He showed us some schools that he could support with funding to pay for our services³. Therefore, when we approached St. Martins Senior High School with our unique Computerlabs, they warmly embraced this opportunity and acquired two Computerlabs from us which till this day, has made learning and research in the school much simpler.
Since then, the school has seen remarkable improvements in the ICT education of its students. The students have been able to learn the basics of ICT, such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and internet skills. They have also been able to explore the electives on Databases and Coding, using software such as Microsoft Access, Gimp, and Scratch. The teachers have also benefited from our Computerlabs, as they have been able to leverage ICT to support teaching, learning, and education administration.
The school has also received positive feedback from the parents and the community, who have witnessed the transformation of the school’s ICT education. The parents have expressed their appreciation for the opportunity that their children have to learn ICT skills that will prepare them for the future. The community has also praised the school for its innovation and leadership in ICT education.
We are proud to share this success story of St. Martins Senior High School, as it demonstrates the impact of our Computerlabs-as-a-Service on the education sector in Ghana. We believe that with our Computerlabs, we can help more schools in Ghana to achieve their ICT education goals and to raise the digital skills of their students. We invite you to join us in our mission to transform education in Ghana through ICT. Contact us today to find out how we can help your school with our Computerlabs-as-a-Service.
Sponsor: District Assembly Nsawam-Adoagyire, Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh
This develoPPP Project is co-financed by DEG from public funds of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
** Statistic derived from the ‘Ghana Education Fact Sheet 2020’ from MICS-EAGLE
