Link Community Development is a charity of nine partner organisations working to improve access to quality primary education in sub-Saharan Africa.

Kate Armstrong is sending us a series of updates on their projects. She previously documented a variety of different challenges and initiatives they are working on. In her final update she tells us about the Solar Connect Programme they are working on with communities to help improve ICT provision and access.

“Hello, I’m based in Edinburgh where Link facilitates educational partnerships between Scottish and African schools and raises awareness of the challenges facing African education. I recently spent a month in Ghana to see how our projects are impacting on schools in the rural Ashanti and Upper East regions.

BLOG 4: SOLAR CONNECT

Knowledge of ICT is essential for Ghana’s continued development in the 21st century. The Ghanaian government recognises this and so ICT is now a compulsory subject for all primary pupils. The only problem is computers are in short supply. For the last few years pupils at Prabon District Assembly Primary School have been learning ICT from textbooks and most sat the ICT exam without ever having seen a computer. Often their teachers are not computer literate either – this is a learning experience for everyone.

Link’s Solar Connect project is putting solar-powered laptops with an internet connection into schools in rural parts of Ghana. One tiny laptop shared between hundreds of pupils might not seem like much, but for ICT teaching at Prabon this has been revolutionary. The Head Teacher, Rebecca, is aware of how important it is to put theory into practice to make her pupils computer literate. The laptop is shared between all classes on a strict timetable so that every pupil has a turn on the computer at least once a week. Rebecca is confident that next year there will be a huge improvement in the ICT pass rate.

Rebecca and another teacher at the school attended a training session by Link where they learned about how to maintain the solar equipment and how to use the ICT materials. For many teachers this was an introduction to basic computer skills, but they quickly became more confident and within a few days they were able to create and save documents, send email and search the web. They shared these new skills with their colleagues and now all the teachers at Prabon are able to complete basic tasks on the computer. This has dramatically improved their confidence in delivering ICT lessons.

The benefits of Solar Connect go much further than ICT skills. A big challenge for rural schools is maintaining contact with the district education department to keep up to date with new regulations, changes to the curriculum, and to access support when they need it. Up until now the only way to communicate was for the Head Teacher to make a trip into town to the district office to meet with the education director. This meant a long journey which usually had to take place during school hours, taking Rebecca away from her duties in the school. Many Head Teachers have heavy teaching workloads on top of their leadership duties, and when they are away there is no one to cover for their classes so pupils are usually left unattended and not learning. With internet access at school, the district education office can send updates by email and be confident that they will be received. The school can also send reports on school performance and the attendance of both pupils and teachers so the district office can monitor their performance and offer support where needed.

The teachers at Prabon can use Solar Connect to access the latest information on teaching methods and keep their skills up to date, especially important in remote rural areas where it is difficult to access professional development opportunities. They also use the internet to search for information and ideas to liven up classes which often rely on outdated textbooks as resources are very scarce. This week the Primary 6 teacher has been looking up Ghana’s historical figures to bring her history and citizenship lessons to life.

Solar Connect also helps to bring Link School partnerships closer. Now schools in Ghana can keep in touch with their UK partners by email, whether it is to exchange greetings and keep up to date with school news, to share ideas for joint projects, or make plans for exchange visits. Link Schools continue to make use of Link’s mailing service to exchange project work and letters between pupils, but the online connection helps to reduce the time between communications and keeps children on both ends of the link excited about the partnership. Some schools have used Solar Connect as a starting point for projects on renewable energy and climate change and have been comparing the carbon footprints of UK and African schools.

Communities are also getting involved with Solar Connect. They have helped to build and provide extra security for rooms to store the equipment in and have participated in meetings to learn how solar power works and how to maintain it. Some schools operate systems where members of the community can use the laptop to access the internet, print documents, send email or charge their mobile phones. This means people don’t have to travel to the nearest town to access the information they need, and the small fees they pay help the school to buy printer ink and internet airtime, as well as saving for bigger costs like replacing the solar battery. As a result, Solar Connect doesn’t rely on continued involvement from organisations like Link, but is owned and operated by schools and their communities.

Rebecca explains that when other teachers visit Prabon they are impressed with how high-tech the school is, and all her teachers are proud to show off the Solar Connect equipment. This project has provided staff and pupils with unique opportunities to learn new skills and open a window on the wider world. They are all excited about where it will take them next.

Visit: Link Community Development Scotland’s website.

Related posts:
Ghana blog 1: The Challenges Facing Primary Education.
Ghana blog 2: The Link Schools Programme.
Ghana blog 3: Healthy Schools Programme.
Global learning experiences for Teachers.