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In a significant step towards transforming its education sector, Ghana has developed an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competency Framework for Teachers, which aims to equip educators with the necessary skills and knowledge to integrate technology effectively into teaching and learning processes.

The development of the ICT Competency Framework was a collaborative effort, which built the institutional capacities of national agencies such as the Ministry of Education, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), the National Teaching Council, CENDLOS and the Ghana Education Service. Driven by a specially appointed committee, which also included teacher representatives and university scholars, the work was supported by UNESCO technical experts in the framework of the UNESCO-Korea Funds-in-Trust Project “ICT Transforming Education in Africa”.

“ICT skills are no longer an optional extra in our education system”, said Prof. Edward Appiah, Director General of NaCCA, addressing the participants of the validation workshop in Accra on 18-20 April 2023. Above all, it is important “to ensure that all of our young people are equipped with the digital skills that are so essential for the future. This starts with teachers who are central to this process and this framework is a huge step forward into this future,” he concluded.

This ICT competency framework provides a structured roadmap for teachers to enhance their proficiency in utilizing ICT tools and resources. It consists of four main strands - people, policy, curriculum and technology - with a total of 14 competency standards across three levels of progression, from beginner to intermediate to advanced. The ICT Competency Framework for Teachers will be used as a reference for the development of the modules for in-service teachers and its incorporation in the pre-service curriculum.

Under the “people” strand, educators are guided to understand and apply various teaching styles and online facilitation techniques. Other competencies include boosting teachers professional development through the sharing of best practices using social networks, integrating principles of gender equality and social inclusion principles within digital learning spaces, and supporting learners with special needs through assistive and adaptive technologies.

The “policy” strand underscores the importance of leadership, particularly by encouraging teachers to grasp professional values, legal issues and ethical principles related to ICT, thus ensuring responsible and ethical use of technology in educational settings, including Open Educational Resources (OER). By leveraging appropriate digital resources, tools and processes, teachers contribute to the development of a Knowledge Society, empowering students with essential digital skills for the future.

Within the “curriculum” strand, the framework offers teacher guidance in integrating global core skills into traditional, hybrid and online classroom settings. It emphasizes learner-centred approaches, promoting active engagement and critical thinking among students. Furthermore, teachers are encouraged to use technology and digital resources for assessment purposes, enabling more accurate and efficient evaluation of student progress.

The final strand, “technology”, focuses on building teachers' ICT competencies and their ability to utilize various digital tools. It covers the use of basic computer hardware and software, installation and troubleshooting, and the creation of digital learning resources using multiple ICT tools. The framework also encourages teachers to explore emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, Artificial Intelligence and 3D printing, to enhance teaching, learning and assessment experiences.

The ICT Competency Framework for Teachers will be used as a reference for the development of the modules for in-service teachers and its incorporation in the pre-service curriculum. The National Teaching Council (NTC) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) will ensure that the content and modules of the Framework are included in the award of continuous professional development points and the curriculum of pre-service teachers in the teacher training institutions, respectively. The official launch of the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers is expected for June 2023.

The UNESCO-Korea Funds-in-Trust Project on Transforming Education in Africa, launched in 2015, has been promoting public digital learning for all for almost eight years. It has actively supported the development of national ICT in education policies, the formulation of comprehensive digital competency frameworks for educators and learners and the strengthening of institutional capacities to catalyse system-wide digital transformation of education.

Ghana is one of the beneficiaries of the second phase of the project, together with Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The target countries of the first phase were Mozambique, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The project aligns with the 2022 ’s&�Բ�����;. In Ghana, the project addresses two of the three keys for unlocking the potential of digital technologies to transform education, and notably the content and capacity keys.

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