The Four Garrison Educational Centre in the Ashanti region is set to receive a modern digital laboratory centre after EcoBank Ghana cut sod for the refurbishment of the only library facility serving the thousands of students at the school.

The project, which is expected to be completed in the coming months, seeks to enhance the digital literacy of pupils while investing in the country’s human resources for the fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Four Garrison Educational centre has been one of the leading basic schools in the Ashanti region, producing some of Ghana’s luminaries since its establishment.

The educational center is a cluster of eleven basic schools, currently having a population of over 7,000 pupils.

The schools’ only library facility at the old barracks of the 4 Infantry Battalion has over the years served thousands of students despite its infrastructural and resource deficits.

Lt. Col. Robert Laryeh Okorley is the 4 Garrison Education Officer.

“Currently, what we have there cannot provide learning convenience. The books are outmoded and inadequate resources to support enough learning. On our own, we’ve been able to change the face of the library from the wooden structure,” he said. 

EcoBank Ghana through its annual initiative is refurbishing the library into a modern digital ICT laboratory equipped with free internet connectivity and a free tuition for 6 months on AI, robotics, web development, and animation.

The bank has since 2013 celebrated the EcoBank Day with focus on spearheading and implementing series of social projects in Ghana and across the African continent.

In the last three years, the bank has focused on transforming Education on the continent with this year’s project emphasizing on digital literacy.

Zonal Manager of EcoBank Ghana Ltd in Ashanti, Mike Owusu-Achiaw explains the focus for this year’s project.

“For this 2024 edition, we’re building on last year’s success. The theme for this year’s Ecobank Day, therefore, is ‘Igniting learning through Artificial Intelligence’. The focus is on AI and foundational learning and how AI can be harnessed to help improve basic skills in literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. Indeed, AI has the potential to transform education, making it more personalised, accessible, and effective than ever before,” he said.

Lt. Col. Okorley believes the facility would strengthen the education centre’s performance in the field of science and technology.

“You can imagine the academic laurels that will impact the chidren if we are able to successfully complete this project,” he said.