The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) would provide about 200 schools in deprived communities nationwide with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to access the internet between now and the year 2012. The schools would be supplied with computers, printers, scanners, projectors and servers under a programme dubbed “school connectivity project.” Mr Kofi Attor, GIFEC Administrator, said this would significantly push forward the new ICT policy of the Ministry of Education, which makes the teaching of computer skills compulsory in the basic and second cycle schools. He was speaking at a forum held to educate the public on electronic-magnetic fields from telecommunication masts in Kumasi. This comes in the wake of the current discourse on electro-magnetic fields and agitations against the sitting of telecommunications masts in some communities. Mr Attor said GIFEC had mounted 55 state-of-the-art masts in rural communities across the country to promote internet connectivity. He asked stakeholders to support programmes that sought to provide ICT avenues for the dissemination of development information particularly on health, agriculture, environment and local government to enhance socio-economic development. Mr. Harruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications, in a speech read on his behalf, allayed fears about health risk associated with telecommunication masts. He said a research by experts in mobile phones in the United Kingdom indicated that people living near masts or base stations were not exposed to health risk. Mr. Iddrisu said the Ministry would ensure that masts were constructed far away from electricity high tension lines. Source: GNA