The Ghana Education Service (GES) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Worldreader, a US non-profit organisation, to adopt a device which allows students to access books electronically.
The e-reader programme gives students access to local and international text books as well as story books anywhere and every time, once they have the device.
The Worldreader will provide the device, dubbed; "Amazon Kindle" which can be used to store up to 3,500 books electronically, and give Ghanaian publishers the opportunity to reach a wider audience.
The Deputy Director General of the GES, in-charge of Quality and Access, Mr. Stephen Adu, explained that having access to books electronically had many benefits, and reduced the cost of book production.
“The system makes it easy for review and update of materials and the GES would monitor the performance of the device to determine the effect and use by students and teachers,” he stressed.
Mr. Adu was hopeful that the programme, which was presently being piloted in the Eastern Region, could improve education.
An official of the Worldreader, Mr Collins McElwee, said the e-reader would improve student performances in reading, writing and proficiency as well as reduce the wait for the provision of learning materials.
"The Amazon Kindle puts a whole library in the hands of a child," he revealed.
Mr McElwee said the project, which had cost about 900 dollars, had so far been implemented on pilot basis in six schools, with over 500 students accessing 35,528 local textbooks, story books and international novels.
The Deputy Mission Director at the USAID, Mr Peter Argo, noted “making the e-readers available to all children in Ghana may not be a reality in the next few years, but would contribute significantly to understanding the effective use of technology in Ghanaian classrooms and its role in promoting quality basic education in Ghana and throughout the world”.
The e-reader programme gives students access to local and international text books as well as story books anywhere and every time, once they have the device.
The Worldreader will provide the device, dubbed; "Amazon Kindle" which can be used to store up to 3,500 books electronically, and give Ghanaian publishers the opportunity to reach a wider audience.
The Deputy Director General of the GES, in-charge of Quality and Access, Mr. Stephen Adu, explained that having access to books electronically had many benefits, and reduced the cost of book production.
“The system makes it easy for review and update of materials and the GES would monitor the performance of the device to determine the effect and use by students and teachers,” he stressed.
Mr. Adu was hopeful that the programme, which was presently being piloted in the Eastern Region, could improve education.
An official of the Worldreader, Mr Collins McElwee, said the e-reader would improve student performances in reading, writing and proficiency as well as reduce the wait for the provision of learning materials.
"The Amazon Kindle puts a whole library in the hands of a child," he revealed.
Mr McElwee said the project, which had cost about 900 dollars, had so far been implemented on pilot basis in six schools, with over 500 students accessing 35,528 local textbooks, story books and international novels.
The Deputy Mission Director at the USAID, Mr Peter Argo, noted “making the e-readers available to all children in Ghana may not be a reality in the next few years, but would contribute significantly to understanding the effective use of technology in Ghanaian classrooms and its role in promoting quality basic education in Ghana and throughout the world”.
