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Regional News of Friday, 23 August 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

GHASKA develops an e-library system for rural communities in Ghana

Members of Ghanaian Students in Korea and Associates (GHASKA) in a group photo Members of Ghanaian Students in Korea and Associates (GHASKA) in a group photo

Ghanaian Students in Korea and Associates (GHASKA), have developed an e-library system to be utilized in rural communities without internet accessibility.

The move is to support students in those communities where there are no physical libraries or books, get access to library required for their studies.

The features include the main library interface that allows reading and downloading of available e-books, past questions section where students could have access to past examination questions to practice, in preparation of their final examination as well as a question and answer forum where teachers and students can discuss.

This came to light at the third GHASKA Innovation Conference (GIC) held at KAIST, Korea, an annual academic event initiated in 2017 by GHASKA with the sole aim of offering presentations on solutions to the many challenges that faced Ghana, their motherland.

Mr Kwasi Mensah, President of GHASKA, in an interview with GNA explained that, every user would require a computer or Smartphone to easily use the system code named “Suafo”, however given the economic conditions of the rural communities, many students may not own a computer or Smartphone and therefore as part of the system, a raspberry-Pi would be provide for each student in the selected communities.

He indicated that the system was ready to be piloted in a selected rural community in Ghana to ascertain its cost and efficiency and added that in the meantime, students would utilize the e-library through the Community Information Centers (CICs) computers as well as their parents who had smart phones.

The President said the group was a non-political and non-religious student’s organization with the core objective of bringing all Ghanaian students and Associates in Korea to have a united front on issues of development for the betterment of Ghana and called for all stakeholders to support them.

He said in achieving this, various programs and events were organized throughout the year with innovations to find solutions for Ghana and disclosed that apart from the e-library, GHASKA was also developing a Home-based Water Treatment System for rural communities and Waste Management System among others to be launched very soon.