‘ICT centres should not be pornographic outlets’
Arku Jasmine
Education
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, has challenged heads of schools to ensure that computer laboratories in their schools are not turned into pornographic outlets.
He said Internet facilities in school libraries should be used effectively to complement library services and other sources of knowledge for improving teaching and learning.
Mr Opoku made the statement in an address read on his behalf at the launch of the maiden edition of the Library and Information Literacy Week organised by the Ghana Library Association in the Ashanti Region.
He said there was the need for heads of schools, librarians and parent-teacher associations to educate students not to engage in the undesirable activity of browsing pornographic sites and go further to buy the necessary software to filter their Internet facilities.
The programme, which had the theme; “Information literacy and public libraries”, brought together various stakeholders in the education sector, namely; district directors of education, librarians, schoolchildren, school administrators, among others.
The regional minister said there was the need for students to make use of credible information on the Internet to develop their skills, and urged the Ghana Library Association to train teachers to be computer literates so that they could impact the skills to their students.
Mr Opoku said the government recognised and appreciated the role played by public libraries in the country, and for that matter would not relent in its effort to support the delivery of quality library services, especially in the area of infrastructure and human resource development.
The Director of the Ashanti Regional Library, Mrs Rebecca Akita, in her welcome address, said some of the activities of the association were to ensure the maintenance of professional practices and conduct, promote and safeguard interest of library services in the country and encourage personnel development and research into libraries.
She said the association was also instrumental in promoting the establishment of library and information services, bibliographical work and library cooperation in Ghana.
A former librarian at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Mr Emmanuel Kofi Bani, who chaired the function called on stakeholders in the education sector to work together to ensure that poor reading habits among students were reduced .
He said it was unfortunate that some parents chose to stockpile their homes with computers loaded with games and other equipment for their children and their wards but refused to invest in books and other educational materials, and appealed to parents and guardians to ensure that they supervised their children to learn while at home.
By Felix A. Baidoo/Daily Graphic/Ghana
He said Internet facilities in school libraries should be used effectively to complement library services and other sources of knowledge for improving teaching and learning.
Mr Opoku made the statement in an address read on his behalf at the launch of the maiden edition of the Library and Information Literacy Week organised by the Ghana Library Association in the Ashanti Region.
He said there was the need for heads of schools, librarians and parent-teacher associations to educate students not to engage in the undesirable activity of browsing pornographic sites and go further to buy the necessary software to filter their Internet facilities.
The programme, which had the theme; “Information literacy and public libraries”, brought together various stakeholders in the education sector, namely; district directors of education, librarians, schoolchildren, school administrators, among others.
The regional minister said there was the need for students to make use of credible information on the Internet to develop their skills, and urged the Ghana Library Association to train teachers to be computer literates so that they could impact the skills to their students.
Mr Opoku said the government recognised and appreciated the role played by public libraries in the country, and for that matter would not relent in its effort to support the delivery of quality library services, especially in the area of infrastructure and human resource development.
The Director of the Ashanti Regional Library, Mrs Rebecca Akita, in her welcome address, said some of the activities of the association were to ensure the maintenance of professional practices and conduct, promote and safeguard interest of library services in the country and encourage personnel development and research into libraries.
She said the association was also instrumental in promoting the establishment of library and information services, bibliographical work and library cooperation in Ghana.
A former librarian at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Mr Emmanuel Kofi Bani, who chaired the function called on stakeholders in the education sector to work together to ensure that poor reading habits among students were reduced .
He said it was unfortunate that some parents chose to stockpile their homes with computers loaded with games and other equipment for their children and their wards but refused to invest in books and other educational materials, and appealed to parents and guardians to ensure that they supervised their children to learn while at home.
By Felix A. Baidoo/Daily Graphic/Ghana