Computers for school children rolls out next month

Accra, Oct. 9, GNA - The first batch of 10,000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-designed laptop computers for Ghanaian school children would roll out next month.

A formal agreement for delivery of the computers dubbed; "wonder machine" is set to be signed by the Government of Ghana and the Institute next week.

This came to light when a delegation of the US Institution led by Matt Keller, a Director, called on President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu, on Thursday.

Accompanying them were officials of the Ministry of Education and members of the "Baah-Wiredu Laptop Per Child Foundation". The Government in the 2008 budget allocated three million dollars to finance the programme.

President Kufuor directed those engaged in the scheme to set to work to ensure that as many as one million of the laptop computers would have been supplied to school children by next year.

The programme, he said, was important to prepare basic school pupils for the Information Communication Technology (ICT) component of the education reforms at the Senior High School.

Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Chairman of the Foundation, said in addition to the Government's budgetary allocation, the Foundation had planned to undertake fundraising activities to draw in private sector support.