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Tag: Education Ministry

  • Education Ministry, GES close for disinfection exercise after COVID-19 infections

    The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have closed their offices temporarily to allow for a disinfection exercise.

    This is after the Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who has recovered from COVID-19 infection, noted that some of his staff had also been infected with the virus.

    The Head of Communications at the Ministry, Ekow Vincent Assafuah told Citi News the disinfection meant workers had to leave work early on Friday.

    But he said he expects the staff to be at work next Monday.

    Mr. Assafuah also clarified earlier comments by Dr. Opoku Prempeh concerning the scale of infections at the Ministry.

    The minister said about 90 percent of his staff had the virus.

    But Mr. Assafuah has indicated that “he meant about 90 percent of his inner circle.”

    “The inner circle is not even up to 20 so it cannot be that about 90 percent of the staff of the Ministry of Education have contracted the coronavirus.”

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Education Ministry must negotiate with telcos to reduce data cost for basic schools Nortsu-Kotoe

    Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, wants the Education Ministry to negotiate with telcos for a reduction in data prices for basic schools across the country.

    This follows concerns of lack of access to teaching and learning by pupils after the closure of public institutions by government, as part of measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

    Many academic institutions have migrated course modules and activities online, to allow students catch up with lessons amid the ban on social distancing.

    Even though it has become a novel way of dealing with the issue, students whose families do not have the financial muscle, cannot afford the luxury of devices and the internet connectivity to access these resources.

    In this regard, Nortsu-Kotoe called for a dialogue between government and the internet service providers to bridge the equality gap in tuition.

    “The Ministry of Education can negotiate with the telecom providers so that they can reduce the cost of data for students who are on the e-learning platform,” he said on Joy FM Midday News on April 24.

    The Member of Parliament for Akatsi North Constituency added that, students in this bracket “should be given a subsidy so that the parents can afford.”

    He also explained that government should have provided students with smartphones as part of its preparation ahead of the roll-out of its various online interventions.

    E-learning platforms receive boost from Telcos amid Covid-19

    Meanwhile, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT) on April 14, announced that it has allowed “free access to over 100 educational online sites, e-learning platforms and libraries (public, private and foreign)” to enable students continue with academic activities from the comfort of their homes.

    In a press statement, the Chamber also revealed, it was supporting “over 240,000 customers consuming over 3,000 GB (3TB) per day for educational purposes.”

     

    Source: myjoyonlineÂ