Kelvin Amaniampong (first right)
A 14-year-old student of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASS), Koforidua, has developed a mobile application that is meant to save the government’s Free SHS policy million of cedis yearly.
Kelvin Amaniampong, a native of Akyem Manso in the Asene-Manso-Akroso district of the Eastern Region, says he came up with the innovation because he believes the amount spent on text books and past questions can be used for other purposes such as alleviating the infrastructure challenges the policy is saddled with.
The app, which he has named “Scrolbooks”, is an e-learning platform that seeks to be the nation’s biggest free digital library. It was developed with the help of his uncle, a computer programmer. The app provides free Ghana Education Service approved textbooks and past questions to its users.
Past questions
The Ghana Education Service last year procured 400,000 sets of questions and answer booklets from the West African Examination Council (WAEC), for distribution to the first batch of beneficiaries of the Free SHS policy.
According to the head of public affairs at the Ministry of Education, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the procurement of the past questions was important because they would guide the students in their preparations and help them excel in their upcoming exams in April 2020.
Speaking to the Daily Statesman, Kelvin, who is a form one science student, stated that the app, if invested in by the government, will save the government the amount of money it spends on purchasing past questions for students annually.
He added that it would also save parents from spending hugely on purchasing text books for their wards.
Poor background
Kelvin explained that he developed the app because he felt it would also help students who are from poor backgrounds and cannot access vacation classes to catch up with their colleagues.
He said coming from a poor background himself, he felt he was wasting his time whenever he was on vacation because his parents do not have the money to put him in any of the “double track vacation classes”.
According to Kelvin, app will now make him busy and help him catch up with his colleagues.
Richmond Ayisi, the computer programmer uncle of Kelvin who assisted him, told the Daily Statesman that he felt the idea was great, hence his decision to invest his time in it.
He said he always felt sad whenever Kelvin came home since the family does not have money enough to put him in any of the vacation classes or even buy text books for him to learn on his own.
He added that should the country be interested in helping to promote Kelvin’s idea, it will serve as a nice compliment to the Free SHS policy.
Appeal
Eric Amaniampong, the father of Kelvin, could not hide his joy for his son’s initiative. He described his son as a skillful young man who always seeks opportunities to exhibit his knowledge in information, communications, technology (ICT).
He appealed to the government and other interested organisations to support his son to bring out more of such innovations.
The chief of Akyem Mano and Benkumhene of Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Obrempong Sintim Poku II, applauded Kelvin for the initiative. He also reiterated the appeal by Kelvin’s father for interested organisations to invest in the boy’s initiative.
Expression of joy
Meanwhile, staff and students of GHANASS have expressed their joy about Kelvin’s initiative. The assistant headmaster, in charge of academics, Fredrick Owusu, said the app will help both JHS and SHS students to access 100 per cent free Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), West African Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and November/December (Nov-Dec) past questions and answers, as well as all textbooks students at all educational levels in Ghana require.
