JESUS IN THE COMMUNITY PROJECTS
PRAMSO LEARNING COMMONS:
A COMMUNITY COMPUTER LAB/LIBRARY
Introduction
At CTPI we believe in serving Christ by serving the community and contributing to community transformation. We bring the claims of Christ to poor communities by serving them in their areas of need. In many Ghanaian rural communities healthcare and education are two areas of great need.
CTPI is currently working in Pramso in Ashanti Region. In partnership with the traditional leadership and Dr. J. Oteng-Adjei – a native philanthropist, CTPI is providing educational services to enhance the Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills of a cluster of Junior high school students in the community.
ICT is a big thing on the newly released curriculum by the Ministry of Education for K-12 schools in Ghana, and yet resources for students in poor Ghanaian communities are non-existent. CTPI, like Christ in this life, is reaching out by extending an arm to about 2000 student 5 Pramso schools.
Dr. Oteng-Adjei built the library, the traditional leadership provided computer tables and CTPI provided chairs, computers, and some books. Woefully insufficient, the students and their administrators continue to cry for more resources!
Please consider partnering with us today and donate in any amount to help break the vicious cycle of poverty by raising tomorrow’s leaders that will pave the way for community transformation in poor communities in Ghana.
Role of the ICT Coordinator
The Library Learning Commons at Pramso is privileged to have an ICT coordinator on site to:
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Oversee the general security of the facility. That is ensuring the facility has been locked up after use.
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Ensure the facility is kept clean.
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Ensure the machines are set up and ready for use.
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Ensure that both teachers and students comply with the code of conducts in the lab.
Fund Raising Needs
CTPI is soliciting for your funds to solve the following problems:
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Buying more reliable new/refurbished laptop computers to meet the increasing demand of students.
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Providing uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) to augment power stability in the facility during practical lessons.
Since a full day is reserved for a school and classes come in turn, the library should be fully equipped with:
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Shelves to display the reading materials.
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More books to meet the students’ demand.
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Furniture for students to sit and read.
Schools that benefit from the library facility are.
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Pramso D/A JHS
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Pramso R.C Primary
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Holy Family Basic School
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T.I Ahmadiya Basic School.
Due to the large number of students from these schools, a full day is allotted for each school as indicated below:
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Monday - T.I Ahmadiya Basic School (JHS)
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Tuesday – Pramso D/A JHS
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Wednesday – Holy Family Basic School
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Thursday – T.I Ahmadiya Basic School (Primary)
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Friday – Pramso R.C Primary
Benefits of ICT Library Learning Commons
The beneficiary schools do not have computer laboratories. This laboratory has helped the students to enjoy their ICT lessons, thanks to the experiential knowledge gained through the opportunity to see and work with the few laptops available at the lab.
This obviously make the designated ICT teachers more productive because it reduces strenuous methods they would use to teach computer lesson in the abstract.
Challenges
There are still some challenges to overcome:
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The number of students who access these laptops exceed the laptops in the lab. That poses undue pressure on the laptops.
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Frequent power outages during practical lessons are hampering the smooth teaching and learning in the facility.
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There is no internet connectivity for accessing internet-based lessons and research.
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The library aspect of the facility (a space within the facility before the Lab) is underutilized. This is because there are no shelves to display the storybooks and there are no tables and chairs for students to sit and read.
A Word from the ICT Coordinator
In all, the project is benefitting the community and wish we could have more of it.
A fully resourced Library Commons will help our students to be fully engaged when they come to the library and computer lab their turn in the week.
On behalf of the community, I say “Thank You!”
ISSAH YAHAYA (ICT coordinator)
