Imagine being taught by your peers so you can grasp the subject earlier and better. Wondering how this will work? Well, the students at Northern College of Science and Technology are using their ICT On Wheels project to teach students in the Yendi Municipality ICT skills as they get ready to sit the Basic Education Certificate Exams (BECE).

In Ghana, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become very important, becoming a part of our daily lives. Many have relied on this to make life easier and better.  But for children in the Yendi Municipality, this may seem far-fetched.

But all that's changing, thanks to a project by the Northern College of Science and Technology with its ICT On Wheels policy. Students of the school are equipped with the requisite knowledge, making it possible for them to transfer the knowledge acquired to their compatriots.

The school has a van installed with computers powered by solar and with furniture, designed to be used in schools without electricity or furniture, for a class of 30 students. Today, the van has docked at Kulkpeni JHS in Yendi.

It takes just about thirty minutes to set the van up and start lessons. Alhassan Rim Nassara and Ephraim Gyamfi are the students from Northern College of Science and Technology who teach their peers all they need to know about ICT.

They teach in both English and native Ghanaian languages for easy understanding.

“It's been wonderful. They listen and pay attention while you teach them. We teach them Excel, Computer Systems, both hardware and software.  Some of the students respond quite well. The project has helped students who have not even seen a computer before. So we teach them practical skills as they prepare for the exams.”

For these students of Kulkpeni Junior High School, it's a rare opportunity to sit behind and use a computer.

“We've learned about computers, software, and hardware. This will help us as we prepare for our exams. It's the first time we are getting close to a computer. I'd seen my colleagues use them and I'm glad the ICT On Wheels project has come to help us. It's great learning from my peers. It made it easier to understand.”

Shadrach Appiah, the ICT Coordinator for Northern College of Science and Technology explains why they use students to teach other other students.

“We use the students to teach other students because it is easier for peer review and also gives the new learner some respite. We're also using the opportunity to teach our students how to give back to the communities they came from.”

Assistant Headmaster of Kulkpeni JHS is excited about the initiative. “This is very beneficial to the students because this is the first time they've laid their hands on computers. We've been teaching them theoretically for a while but today, they've had practical lessons. The students had never seen a mouse and didn't know what a system unit was. The ICT On Wheels project is a good one and should be applauded.”