The annual Edu-Revolution Africa Conference organized by Infoview Data Solutions, has taken place in Takoradi with a call on stakeholders to brace up for the educational reforms currently taking place in the country.
The conference, first of its kind to be held in Takoradi in the Western Region, touched on leadership, education and application of technology in advancing the Ghanaian society.
The Edu-Revolution Africa Conference is the bedrock and foundation for idea sharing in education, it blends education, leadership, and technology for successful educational outcomes.
More than a hundred participants drawn from the private sector schools, officials from the education sector and relevant stakeholders participated in the conference.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah expressed gratitude to the organizers for moving the conference from Accra to Takoradi for the first time.
"Today is a great day for us to gather here and share ideas around quality education outcomes in the Western Region."
Mr Darko-Mensah underscored the importance of education in the socio-economic development of the country, noting that education was the only tool at the disposal of stakeholders to transform the Western Region in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.
He expressed his happiness to be part of the gathering of school owners, directors and administrators, in discussing the impact of technology in promoting positive educational outcomes for all stakeholders.
The Minister said the government was working very hard to improve upon quality and access to education in the country, adding that the Western Region was bracing up to benefit from the interventions and reforms in the education sector.
Mr Darko-Menseh who took the participants through the number of industrial revolutions, noted that science education had transformed mankind and that science appeared to be the fundamental in education.
He said Ghana was currently in an education revolution of its own. "Our great nation is embarking on transforming our educational system to position us in the fourth Industrial Revolution".
He said the Region was positioning itself for opportunities in this digital industry as well. "I believe that our schools in the Western Region are key stakeholders in creating the next generation of highly skilled ICT workers for the digital economy".
The Regional Minister said he had plans to embark on transforming the local economy from a commodity-based to innovation-based one.
"We are poised for this fourth industrial revolution and I am confident that we will all do our part to make this great region a beacon of hope for all Ghanaians.
"We are blessed with many natural resources; however, we need the right education; specifically, a focus on science and technology for our citizens to enable them to seize the opportunities we have in our region".
He hinted that very soon his outfit would be announcing plans and strategies for creating a Western Region Innovation Hub and an information technology Data Center that would bring private and public partners together. "I plan to transform Western Region into an information technology leader in Ghana"
Mr Darko-Mensah cautioned educationalists against blame game, adding "As school owners, administrators and directors, don't ask what your Region can do for you but rather ask what you can do to transform education in the Western Region,"
"We need your vision and support to educate the digital workforce needed to sustain the Western Region Innovation Hub. We all need to make it our goal to create the digital economy within this Region. We all need to make it our personal goal to digitalize our schools and to produce future leaders of our nation"
He commended Mr Jeff Bamba, Founder and President of InfoView Data Solutions for the great initiative,adding "From what I have read and seen from InfoView, I believe that your school is in great hands by working with them," he told the stakeholders.
Mrs. Priscilla Baaba Morris-Amoah, A Montessori Pedagogist (MCI) and consultant, explained the principles in Montessori classroom set up adding that, the prepared class environment reduced frustration.
She said practical life area for development of social skills was needed, stating that issue of multi age grouping, sensorial cultural areas in the curriculum and language development among others would all require application.
The Founder of Infoview Data Solutions Limited, organizers of Edu-Revolution Africa conference, Mr Bamba highlighted, challenges facing schools.
He mentioned cultural perspectives, cutting down cost of running private schools, performance assessment with technology, using technology for curriculum, safety, productivity among others as some of the challenges.
Mr Bamba promised that his company would give schools that were readily available to register to work with them, the required tablets to enhance teaching and learning of pupils in their schools.