Accra, Feb. 9, GNA- Mr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister for Education, says the Government through the Ministry of Education continues to make educational material available and accessible throughout the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He told Parliament on Wednesday that learning loss had been reduced during the period.
This was after Dr. Prince Hamidu Armah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwesimintsim, asked him steps the Ministry had taken to improve learning outcomes in private and public pre-tertiary institutions in Ghana, especially during closure of schools.
« Mr. Speaker, establishing the iCAMPUSGH online and ensuring that all SHS and TVET students (approximately 1.2 million students) as at 2020 were hooked on the iCAMPUS system (www.icampusgh.com) was one of the many interventions, » Mr. Osei Adutwum said.
He mentioned 810 notes with exercises, 20,800 interactive quizzes, 600 audio-visual lessons, 540 units of interactive lessons (virtual laboratory practicals and simulation) and over 3,000 sets of notes and audio-visual Open Educational Resources (OER) materials as some of the reserves included on the system.
Mr. Osei Adutwum, who is also the MP for Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region, also said the Ghana Library Authority had enhanced Ghana Library App and website to include videos and tutorials from the Ghana Learning TV, adding: « The system is also set up to upload content from the Ghana Learning Radio. »
« Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, through the Ghana Library Authority, also launched the Edmodo Ghana e-learning platform for Ghanaian teachers and students, » he said.
The Sector Minister explained Edmodo as an all-in-one solution for distance learning and hybrid learning that helped to connect all learners with their teachers and the resources needed to enhance the learning experience.
According to the Education Minister, teachers, students, school and district administrators and parents would be able to set up accounts and take full advantage of the benefits of the learning management system.
« This platform is also available to all private schools that are registered with National Schools Inspectorate Authority, » he said.
« Mr. Speaker, the Ministry through Ghana Education Service launched Ghana Learning TV on April 3, 2020. The TV Programme was established in collaboration with Plan International and GBC studio. Plan International provided five recording studios and technical assistance to develop and produce over 500 video lessons for KG through JHS. 600 Core subject lessons from CENDLOS for SHS have also been developed, » he said.
Mr. Osei Adutwum noted that the Ghana Learning Radio was also launched on June 15, 2020, in collaboration with GBC for both recording and broadcasting.
He said the Reading Programme was introduced in partnership with USAID Learning.
Mr. Osei Adutwum mentioned that UNICEF also provided funding support from MasterCard Foundation to develop recorded reading programmes and over 1,000 lessons developed in English, Mathematics, Science and OWOP from KG-JHS3.
« Mr Speaker, Workbooks were distributed to the KG to P3 (Term 1) and 5.4 million reading workbooks with the support of USAID were also distributed. Again, 2.94 million workbooks for English, Maths, Science, OWOP, for KG to P3 with support of Global Partnership for Education COVID-19 Interventions were also developed and distributed.
« While schools have reopened, Ghana Learning Radio and the Ghana Learning TV continue to run as supplementary instruction to students, » he said.
