How photos of a teacher in Ghana took him all the way to Microsoft
16th March 2018
His photos moved thousands of Internet users. Richard Akoto, a technology teacher at a school in central Ghana, found a way to teach computer skills without a computer: he drew the layout of Microsoft Word on a blackboard. And thanks to the photos he shared online, these kids may soon be able to put their knowledge into practice… on real computers.
It all began three weeks ago. Akoto, who also goes by the name Owura Kwadwo Hottish, posted these photos (see below) on his Facebook page. They show him using chalk to draw the Microsoft Word layout. He did this because his small school in Sekyedumase only had one computer – and it was broken.
These photos were shared thousands of times, and featured in many media outlets. Now, three weeks later, Akoto’s school has been gifted computers by two different donors: the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and a local university, NIIT Ghana. Altogether, they have received five desktop computers and two laptops, as well as several cases full of technology textbooks.
But the story doesn’t end there. Akoto was invited to Miscrosoft’s education summit in Singapore, which brought together 400 educators from 91 different countries. He shared his story on stage and received a standing ovation.
Microsoft also confirmed on its website that the company would gift computers to Akoto’s school, as well as give teachers free access to its educational software programs.
Source:observers.france24.com