By Prince Acquah
Cape Coast, Dec 10, GNA – The Rotary Clubs of Cape Coast, Ghana and Ann Arbor in Michigan, USA, have handed over a refurbished ICT laboratory to the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind to enhance the quality of their education.
The fully air-conditioned 18-computer laboratory with a projector is intended to develop the skills and competencies of the children in ICT, facilitate their learning and infuse ICT into education management.
Prior to the refurbishment, ICT teachers used their personal laptops to teach the pupils and went through the tedious and time-consuming process of calling them one after the other for demonstrations.
With the new computers, teaching and learning would be faster and more content would be covered.
The project, facilitated by the Central Alumni Foundation (CAF) was executed in collaboration with old students of Wesley Girls High School and St Augustine’s College, Blueskies, Coastal TV, and STAR Ghana Foundation, among other stakeholders to mark the 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “United in Action to Rescue and Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for, with and by Persons with Disabilities.”
As part of the celebration, the school also held a ‘career day’ to expose the children to various career paths available to them and to encourage them to grow and become worthy citizens.
Both the deaf and blind pupils performed a thrilling drama, which saw them play various roles such as lawyer, teacher, doctor, nurse, police, judge, and court clerk, to demonstrate their capabilities.
Madam Lawrencia Entsuah, the Rotarian President for Cape Coast-Central, was optimistic that the ICT centre would help to transform the teachers’ development and the education of the children through technology-based training.
She said ICT would enhance access to education and improve the quality of education delivery on an equitable basis.
She, therefore, called for a continuous integration of ICT in teaching and learning activities to improve the learning outcomes of the students.
“A world without ICT is a world without any information,” she said.
“Let’s work together for a world of opportunity and dignity for all, a future of inclusion, one in which we all gain by leaving no one behind. Disability is not inability,” she said.
Rev Dr Ebenezer Konduah, the School Management Committee Chairman, motivated the pupils to aspire to be whatever they wished to be, insisting that they could make it big irrespective of their conditions.
He urged them not to be limited by their disabilities, maintaining that disability was no longer an excuse to fail in life given the advancement of the world today.
Rev Dr Konduah said they could become marketing professionals, Human Resource Managers, business owners, actors, chefs, agriculture workers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, counsellors, psychologists, writers, journalists, scientists, artists, engineers, and stenographers, among other professions.
“You can even teach sign language and nowadays they are in high demand. The language is a very great skill, which is demanded in the hospitals, courts, and other places,” he said.
“So, decide what you want to be today and pursue it with determination because what you do today will determine your future and don’t live your life anyhow,” he noted.
Rev Dr Konduah urged them to focus on their studies as their parents were educating them because they believed in them.
“Don’t let people deceive and discourage you because even those with sight and hearing have their own challenges in life,” he added.
Mr Abraham Annang Yemoson, the Headmaster of the School, expressed gratitude for the ICT centre and the support they had received from various stakeholders.
He assured that the school would take maximum care of the facility to serve its purpose for the longest time possible.
“Without the support of all of you, we could not have come this far because government cannot do it alone,” he indicated.
With a population of more than 450 pupils, he said the school was faced with road, water, and electricity challenges and appealed to the Government and the benevolent public for support.
GNA