Ghananaians advised t be ICT oriented
Gilbert Boyefio
27/05/2008
The Director General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellency in ICT, Dorothy Gordon, has called on Ghanaians, especially students and business owners, to be ICT conscious.
She said ICT gives a person the opportunity to reach out to a lot of people and also expands one's horizon.
Speaking on the topic Open Source and the Promotion of ICT in Africa at an International Computer Driving License forum in Accra, Ms Gordon observed that if Ghana is to benefit and make effective use of ICT, then schools in the country have to be empowered and made ICT conscious.
She pointed out that most of the University graduates in the country are not ICT oriented and therefore do not have enough skills to work in a modern office.
She pointed out that Ghana' s ICT policy also gives a lot of opportunities to entrepreneurs and small business.
She said in other countries, a lot of businesses have taken advantage of the ICT boom to expand their businesses. According to her, there are a lot of software programmes available on the internet free of charge, but due to ignorance a lot of people are buying these software programmes at high prices.
She applauded ICDL for offering variety of choices for its students because their training is not tied to the apron of one programme, but rather offering skills that can be transferred to any form.
Some of the senior high schools that attended the ICDL forum were Accra Academy, Accra Girls, Holy Trinity Cathedral Senior High and Christian Methodist Senior High.
The forum was under the theme, "developing digital literacy and national capacity building through the international computer driving license." In Africa, ICDL is present in almost all the countries.
Explaining what ICDL is all about, Anthony Harper, Development Coordinator, ICDL Africa, said ICDL is internationally recognised as the global standard foe end user computer skills, which is widely adopted by governments, international organizations and corporations alike.
He said with ICDL no programming is taught. To obtain the ICDL a student must demonstrate practical proficiency in each of the most commonly used software tools. The student has to pass all seven modules at a very high level, as high as 75%.
The standards for the ICDL have been set jointly by the major European Computer Societies. In Europe it is known as the European Computer Driving License. The ICDL is the only European Union recognised IT qualification at present. Worldwide it is administered by the European Computer Driving License Foundation.
Touching on the mission of ICDL, the Chief Executive Officer, ICDL Africa, Jenny van Niekerk, said ICDL mission is to enable proficient use of ICT that empowers individuals, organisations and society, through the development, promotion and delivery of quality certification programmes throughout the world.
She said ICDL, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to improving digital skills proficiency within society. She explained that their certification programmes are designed to be accessible to all citizens, irrespective of age, gender, status, ability or race. She said the certification programs give candidates the flexibility and freedom to acquire digital skills and confidently apply them in any software environment that they may be required to use.
In Ghana, ICDL is partnered by Skills Matrix Ltd. Over the past three years, Skills Matrix Ltd and the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence have been involved in promoting ICDL programmes in Ghana. This has led to the successful training and certification of many individuals as well as staff at the Attorney General’s Department, SSNIT, UNPD, Donewell Insurance, Anglo Gold Ashanti and some members of Parliament.
27/05/2008
The Director General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellency in ICT, Dorothy Gordon, has called on Ghanaians, especially students and business owners, to be ICT conscious.
She said ICT gives a person the opportunity to reach out to a lot of people and also expands one's horizon.
Speaking on the topic Open Source and the Promotion of ICT in Africa at an International Computer Driving License forum in Accra, Ms Gordon observed that if Ghana is to benefit and make effective use of ICT, then schools in the country have to be empowered and made ICT conscious.
She pointed out that most of the University graduates in the country are not ICT oriented and therefore do not have enough skills to work in a modern office.
She pointed out that Ghana' s ICT policy also gives a lot of opportunities to entrepreneurs and small business.
She said in other countries, a lot of businesses have taken advantage of the ICT boom to expand their businesses. According to her, there are a lot of software programmes available on the internet free of charge, but due to ignorance a lot of people are buying these software programmes at high prices.
She applauded ICDL for offering variety of choices for its students because their training is not tied to the apron of one programme, but rather offering skills that can be transferred to any form.
Some of the senior high schools that attended the ICDL forum were Accra Academy, Accra Girls, Holy Trinity Cathedral Senior High and Christian Methodist Senior High.
The forum was under the theme, "developing digital literacy and national capacity building through the international computer driving license." In Africa, ICDL is present in almost all the countries.
Explaining what ICDL is all about, Anthony Harper, Development Coordinator, ICDL Africa, said ICDL is internationally recognised as the global standard foe end user computer skills, which is widely adopted by governments, international organizations and corporations alike.
He said with ICDL no programming is taught. To obtain the ICDL a student must demonstrate practical proficiency in each of the most commonly used software tools. The student has to pass all seven modules at a very high level, as high as 75%.
The standards for the ICDL have been set jointly by the major European Computer Societies. In Europe it is known as the European Computer Driving License. The ICDL is the only European Union recognised IT qualification at present. Worldwide it is administered by the European Computer Driving License Foundation.
Touching on the mission of ICDL, the Chief Executive Officer, ICDL Africa, Jenny van Niekerk, said ICDL mission is to enable proficient use of ICT that empowers individuals, organisations and society, through the development, promotion and delivery of quality certification programmes throughout the world.
She said ICDL, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to improving digital skills proficiency within society. She explained that their certification programmes are designed to be accessible to all citizens, irrespective of age, gender, status, ability or race. She said the certification programs give candidates the flexibility and freedom to acquire digital skills and confidently apply them in any software environment that they may be required to use.
In Ghana, ICDL is partnered by Skills Matrix Ltd. Over the past three years, Skills Matrix Ltd and the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence have been involved in promoting ICDL programmes in Ghana. This has led to the successful training and certification of many individuals as well as staff at the Attorney General’s Department, SSNIT, UNPD, Donewell Insurance, Anglo Gold Ashanti and some members of Parliament.
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