Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Minister of Education Matthew Opoku Prempeh has articulated the need to imbibe digital skills into students if education is to see a boost among the youth across Africa.

According to him, the quest to improve the essential life skills of students is critical. He believes that securing the future of the youth and preparing them for the job market with IT skills is crucial, especially in these times of Covid-19.

Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh | 1
Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh 6

He made these comments during the Mastercard Foundation’s release of a new report, Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work on August 13.

Report findings indicate that changes in the nature of jobs place a premium on skills that require young people to be adaptable, resilient, and creative problem solvers.

Secondary education that provides relevant skills to young workers will help improve productivity, particularly in the informal sector, and will play an important role in driving long-term economic growth and reducing poverty in Africa.

Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh | 2
Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh 7

Mr Opoku Prempeh indicated that even though the push for a national digitization policy could have started much earlier in Ghana, there is still enough time to boost that aspect of the average Ghanaian student.

“Even though we had started all the elementary elements, all of a sudden it seemed as if we had not even planned for it. We cannot be part of the 21st century world without embedding digital literacy as part of our education and life,” the Education Minister explained.

Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh | 3
Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh 8

He was of the view that the novel coronavirus had highlighted the need to acquire new skills in the evolving age of technology and the impact of the virus on jobs had provided the opportunity to rethink the modalities of conventional teaching and learning structures.

This means the infrastructure for the technologies to be provided and deployed.

It also calls for the training and re-training of teachers to reflect the skill set necessary for its execution in the classrooms.

“We have to let our teachers be comfortable with ICT so that they teach the kids and be comfortable. We have a situation right now where the kids are more comfortable with the ICT tools than the teacher,” he clarified.

Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh | 4
Former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf speaking at the Secondary Education in Africa Virtual Summit

Using the 2014 Ebola crisis as a backdrop, former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said that experience provided the institutional memory to support the push for Africa to uphold education as part of the Covid-19 recovery plan.

Check This Out: You’ll enjoy free technical, vocational training under the new NDC – Mahama

Meanwhile, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, Reeta Roy while speaking at the Summit believes that strategic investment into secondary education is critical to empower the youth to surmount challenges posed during this pandemic.

Co-founder of Butterfly Effect, Primerose Adjepong also called on stakeholders to expand the remits of secondary education beyond the physical confines of a classroom block.

Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh | 5
Digital skills required to improve Youth Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh 9

“You don’t need to be in a classroom to get educated. You could be a farmer’s kid and you could learn a lot of 21st century skills, technical skills on that farm.

She added: “We need to have that reality in mind. And how do we ensure that if the buck stops here? These students are leaving [the] university ready to work and self actualize.”

The report encourages policymakers, educators, philanthropists, and young people themselves to re-envision secondary education for the future and to consider actionable recommendations for getting there.

 

Access the full report, Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work here.

Check This Out: Mahama couldn’t buy a single textbook  for schools in 8yrs – NAPO

 


SEND US YOUR STORIES FOR PUBLICATION VIA WHATSAPP NUMBER 0506440219

Get the Ghana Education Service New Standard – Based Scheme of Learning (SOL) HERE

Get the Ghana Education Service New Standard – Based Curriculum HERE

Get the  WAEC Marking Schemes HERE

Get the NaCCA/GES Standard -Based Lesson Plans HERE

Get the WAEC BECE, WASSCE, NTC Licensure Exam and Teachers’ Promotion Exam Past Questions HERE


Discover more from EducationGhana

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Previous articleStudent in the grip of Police for sodomizing neighbour’s son
Next articleJUST IN: WAEC confirms Leakage of WASSCE Core Mathematics Paper 2; begins Investigations
Ellis Ferdinand
Ellis Ferdinand is a Journalist, Blogger and Founder of Ellis Multimedia, a parent company of EducationGhana.org, an Online Education News Blog, PoliticsGhana.com and GhanaNaija.net.Ellis Ferdinand is a Graduate of Accra College of Education and the University of Cape Coast, where he obtained a Diploma In Basic Education and a Bachelor of Education in Accounting. He is currently Reading his Master of Philosophy in Curriculum and Pedagogic Studies at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana.Ellis Ferdinand won Blogger of the Year at the 2018 National Students’ Awards and was also adjudged 14th Best Ghanain Blogger in 2018 among the Top 50 Ghanaian Bloggers of 2018.He introduced the Concept of Education Blogging in Ghana in 2014 with his famous blog EducationGhana.net. now EducationGhana.orgHis Blog won Best Media Promoting Education in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively, an Award organized by Neogenics Education Consult.In 2019, He adjudged the Most Promising West African Blogger of the Year in Nigeria. He won Writer of the Year at the 2021 EDUCOM AWARDS

What's your take on this Latest Development?