Teachers across the country has been cautioned on the use of internet to negatively influence students during learning period at school.
The Communication Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful who gave the caution acknowledged that, actions and inactions of teachers with the use of the internet or social media in classrooms can negatively influence the children, hence can cause them the children to abuse the use of the internet as well as social media.
The Communications Minister Mrs Owusu- Ekuful gave these advices during the Africa Safer Internet Day Celebration held in Accra on Tuesday as part of the Safer Digital Ghana under the theme “Cyber Crime Centre for the Positive Use of the Internet in Ghana”.
However, emphasized that, “the internet is good; the social media is a good thing therefore, we are not saying that teachers should not use their phones for social media no, but should do that in the staff common rooms to prevent the children from seeing what ever they are doing”.
The children she noted learn faster so anything they see on the internet is likely to stay with them for a long time and influence them to practice it.
The Minister later averred that the use of internet in the classroom is good for the pupils as it helps them to learn but was quick to add that the teachers should use the internet to educate the pupils on the need to observe internet safety at all times rather than using it for their personal pleasure.
To her, when children are sensitized at their tender age on internet safety, it helps them to be mindful and cautions when using the internet.
Therefore she used the ocassion to urge the children to exercise internet safety at all times to prevent them from landing into a social media danger.
“Internet is a good servant and a bad master that, what ever you post on the internet follows you forever so be careful of what you post there”.
Stressing, “Do not post anything that you don’t want your mother to see and to say, If you don’t want your mother to see it, then it’s not good to post it”.
The Minister also advised school pupils and students to be each other’s keeper maintaining that “when your friend finds him or herself in trouble on the internet because of what they posted, support them rather than making fun of them so that they can rise up to the occasion and not drop out from school”.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful later revealed that her Ministry will institutionalize the internet safety awareness to instil social media discipline into children so as to achieve the Digital Safety initiative of the government.
The programme brought together notable persons like the Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF Mr. Fiachra McAsey, the National Cyber Security Advisor, Dr. Albert Antwi Bosiako, the MCE of Ablekuma West Mr. George Bray among others, all calling on the need for Children to be cautious with the use of the internet.
The school pupils who were the main focus of the programme were not left out as they were made to engage in a panel discussion to share their experiences of internet use and safety with their colleagues.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com/ Ishmael Barfi/ senghana@gmail.com
