A Deputy Minister of Education, Mahama Ayariga, has asked corporate institutions to support the government's initiative to improve access to Information and Communication Technology (lCT) infrastructure in the country's educational institutions. He said the challenge in building ICT centres within all educational facilities was enormous, considering the number of schools available in the country. Mr Ayariga was speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony of an ICT centre built for the New Ningo community in the Greater Accra Region by MTN Ghana Foundation. The deputy minister said the country currently had 13,090 basic schools, 7,500 junior high schools and over 500 senior high schools, in addition to the numerous public and private universities and polytechnics. "From these figures, it is clear that it will be difficult to cover all educational facilities with ICT access. This is even more difficult when most of our rural communities do not have electricity. So, we as a government are looking forward to forging partnerships that will produce facilities like what the MTN Ghana Foundation had put up here in New Ningo,” he. stated. Mr Ayariga revealed that the education ministry was now redesigning the educational curriculum to incorporate ICT, since the technological revolution of the time required such a policy. The ICT learning centre project is one of 10 similar facilities built across the 10 regions of the country by the foundation. According to the Country Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr Michael lkpoki, the initiative was part of his outfit's support to bridge the technological gap between rural and urban centres in Ghana. The facility has 25 desktop computers, a laptop, a colour printer, a projector and a photocopier. It is also stocked with a scanner, a digital camera and furniture. A patron of MTN Ghana Foundation, Rt. Honourable Lord Boateng, entreated young people in the New Ningo locality to take advantage of the ICT centre to increase their knowledge base while taking good care of the facility. Lord Boateng, who is the first black cabinet minister of the United Kingdom, and who has also been bestowed with a chieftaincy title in the Ningo Traditional Area, announced scholarship packages for students and teachers who would make fruitful use of the facility. The other nine ICT centres built by MTN Ghana Foundation are located at Adidome (Volta), Esiama (Western) and Komenda (Central). The rest are Kpong (Eastern), Nyinahin (Ashanti), Techimantia (Brong-Ahafo), Tolon (Northern), Pwalugu (Upper East) and Hamile (Upper West). According to the Foundation, the facilities were put up at a total cost of GH¢1,111,773. MTN Ghana Foundation was established by the MTN Board Group in 2007 as a vehicle for effectively administering MTN's corporate social responsibilities. It is funded by a percentage of profit after tax of the relevant operating units of the company.