Education Ministry partner institutions to explore AI, ICT opportunities
The Ministry of Education is ready to partner other institutions – foreign or local to explore the full potentials and diverse opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Ghanaian educational system.
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The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who revealed this in Accra, noted that the aim of infusing AI and ICT into the training of students was to make them industry-ready.
Dr Adutwum was speaking at a one-day conference organised by the Yonsei University of South Korea, which sought to provide a focused platform for Korean and Ghanaian experts to present, discuss, and collaborate on the role of AI and ICT in shaping the future of education in Ghana.
The event, sponsored by Korean EXIM bank and KOICA, was also meant to provide a platform for experts from both nations to showcase their insights, research findings, and successful implementations related to AI, ICT and education.
Jobs survey
Dr Adutwum, mentioned that according to the Forum’s Future of Jobs Survey, by 2025, 85 million jobs might be displaced by a shift in the division of labour between humans and machines, while 97 million new roles might emerge that would be more adapted to the new division of labour between humans, machines, and algorithms, based on 15 industries and 26 economies covered by the report.
“Data from the Forum's Future of Jobs Survey shows that companies expect to re-structure their workforce in response to new technologies.”
“To achieve this, AI and ICT must play a pivotal role in transforming education by providing personalised learning experiences tailored to individual student needs.
AI platforms allow students to receive customised lessons, practice materials, and feedback, enhancing their understanding of subjects at their own pace,” Dr Adutwum added.
STEM agenda
Dr Adutwum shared insights into what the government, through his ministry had been up to; push the STEM agenda, which included improvement in infrastructural development, equipping schools with the necessary science laboratories and creating enabling environment for teaching and learning.
“For us to really get rid of learning poverty in this country, we are doing a lot but AI will help us to do more.
We have to confront the opportunities presented to us by AI and ICT,” he said.
A professor at the Yonsei University of Korea, Prof. JangSaeng Kim, gave the assurance of his outfit’s readiness to work with Ghana to develop actionable strategies for enhancing education through AI and ICT.
Prof. Kim noted that the establishment of the University of Environmental Sustainability Development at Bunso in the Eastern Region of Ghana formed part of his outfit’s aim to join forces with the Ghanaian government to take full advantage of AI opportunities in the country.
Right environment
Making a presentation at the conference, Vice-President of MTN Group, Mr E T Asante, said AI, data solution and ICT could only take shape when the right environment was created.
He said if Ghana’s education wanted to embrace ICT and be part of production, then mathematics should be taken seriously to help in terms of problem solving, critical thinking and creativity.
“As a country the future of AI and ICT is encouraging and promising but we should not just be consumers but rather be part of the production process.
There is a lot of work in terms of educational institutions embracing technology,” Mr Asante said.
