Director of Digital Transformation and Commercial Operations at Vodafone Ghana, Angela Mensah-Poku, has underscored the need for public-private partnerships and collaborations within the EdTech eco-system in order to drive equitable, fair, and quality digital learning for all.
Speaking on the topic “Access to Digital Resources”, on the EdTech organised by the MasterCard Foundation she said “we believe in the power of technology through partnerships.”
“Our priority has been to collaborate with everyone in the ecosystem in order to create an equitable and quality digital learning experience for all. We look at the challenges in EdTech in totality and that informs our approach to digital learning; whether it is infrastructure, access, content, or even developing the digital skills of students and teachers,” she said.
Highlighting Vodafone Ghana’s contribution to eLearning, Ms Mensah-Poku said “Vodafone has donated hundreds of devices to brilliant and needy students.”
“In making sure that we are aware and conscious of the in-built biases in tech and ensuring they are top-of-mind, we have several gender-led unique programmes for girls including our Coding for Girls programme, which has trained over 1000 girls nation-wide. In addressing the issue of content, our Instant Schools, a digital education platform offers a wide range of basic to advanced learning materials for FREE with unlimited access to everyone,” she said.
She added “we have also extended our fibre broadband to over 50 different ICT labs across the country. Our infrastructure has also enabled developers and content providers in the ecosystem to provide content online and offline through the use of channels that don’t require internet’’
Mrs Mensah-Poku further lauded the government’s “One Teacher, One Laptop” initiative, aimed at facilitating lesson planning, teaching and learning outcomes, and called for additional support to ensure teachers and students fully benefit from the package. She urged the government to build an eco-system for teachers to implement an e-learning model that enables every child to have a personal digital learning experience that leaves no one behind.
BY TIMES REPORTER