Telecel Ghana Foundation has successfully concluded the first term of its DigiTech Academy for selected pupils at Ho’s St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Junior High School in the Volta Region.

As the pilot term for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative, DigiTech Academy equipped young pupils with essential and foundational digital skills including web development, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and programming with Scratch with emphasis on a hands-on practical approach.

After two months of practical bi-weekly sessions with cutting-edge technology and expert instruction, the programme has seen promising results and is set to expand to more schools across the country.

At the closing ceremony, young learners of the Digitech Academy showcased both their physical and digital projects that just months ago seemed impossible.

They displayed projects, many challenging traditional thinking, including miniature cranes, obstacle-avoiding vehicles, smart home models and intelligent bins.

Emmanuella Adzomah’s dream is to become a lawyer. Through the Digitech Academy, she has discovered an unexpected passion for technology, which has helped improve her ability to create, design, and solve problems. Her project involved the design and development of a website for car rental services.

"These bi-weekly skills training have prepared me for a tech-focused future. I can be a technology-specialised lawyer since I now love digital and tech solutions" she said, with her confident speech attesting to the programme's soft skills development.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the pilot run, Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications at Telecel Ghana said DigiTech Academy has been met with enthusiasm from both students and teachers.

"The Telecel DigiTech Academy is committed to ensuring Ghana has its fair share of digital innovators and it is essential that training starts at a younger age.

This initiative is not only teaching students digital skills but also inspiring them to think critically about how they can use technology to address challenges in their communities”.

The event, attended by key stakeholders from the National STEM Centre, Ghana Education Service (GES) and teachers, also saw several students receive awards for their outstanding performance.

Beyond technical skills, the programme is awakening the students’ engagement levels as teachers observed a profound shift in confidence, creativity and enthusiasm – spillover effects of the interactive DigiTech Academy sessions at the school.

Dr Esther Yeboah-Adzimah, the GES Ho Municipal Director of Education, said the school has observed remarkable improvement in the pupils since the start of the term.

"DigiTech Academy has had a profound impact on our students as we've seen a boost in their digital literacy and problem-solving skills. We're excited to see how they will shape the future of technology in the region and country."

Young final-year pupil, John Isaac Tei now dreams of becoming a robotics engineer, after his recent exposure to gears and circuits.

"This hands-on experience has given me a good start and I will continue building robots that solve problems," he said, as he demonstrated his miniature crane controlled remotely via light sensors.

The DigiTech Academy is a significant step towards bridging the digital divide and entrenching STEM-based learning in Ghana.

The corporate responsibility arm of telecommunications giant, Telecel Ghana plans to expand the programme to more schools in the coming years, ensuring that a wider range of young people have the opportunity to benefit from digital skills training in schools.