Remember The Ghana Teacher Who Taught MS Word On Blackboard? An Indian Company Donated Him Computers!

Teaching is the noblest of professions. And yet, it doesn’t get enough of the credit and encouragement that it deserves. Just look at the average wages of teachers globally or the word literacy rate and you’ll know. Fortunately though, this has not deterred those who continue to strive towards educating young minds, irrespective of the odds against them. One of them is a teacher in Ghana, who only last month went viral for his exceptional dedication to this noble duty.

Richard Appiah Akoto, who teaches Information & Technology to students at the Sekyedumase Senior High School, Ghana, had shared a post on Facebook about how he was using a blackboard to teach MS Word because the school didn’t have computers.

Akoto, who goes by the name Owura Kwadwo Hottish on FB, had even shared pictures of the entire MS Word interface drawn with chalk on a blackboard, a feat that is absolutely commendable!

Akoto’s determination and efforts to ensure his students learned computers even without access to actual computers struck a chord with people all over the world.

Several individuals and organisations clamoured to help Akoto with his predicament.

Akoto has help pouring in from many quarters now, thanks to his post going viral. Even Microsoft Africa chimed in by inviting him to Singapore to attend the annual Microsoft Educators Exchange.

One of these helping hands was NIIT Ghana, a subsidiary of NIIT, the multi-national IT training company based in India.

Talking to Hindustan Times, Ashish Kumar, the NIIT centre manager in Accra, Ghana, described what prompted them to help Akoto.

“We saw the news getting viral on Facebook and other social media platforms. We were so touched by the teacher’s dedication to his students that we decided to support the school with the best we could do as an IT training organisation.”

So what did they do about it?

On March 12, representatives of NIIT Ghana arrived at Sekyedumase Senior High School, bearing gifts for Akoto and his students—brand new computers!

Isn’t this amazing?

The firm donated five computers and some books for the students, which they happily received!

As for the good teacher, Akoto was gifted a laptop!

“Everyone at the school was very happy, especially the teacher. He (Akoto) gathered everyone and told them about the new computers.”

With an influx of help and donations from several fronts, it looks like Akoto can finally fulfill his dreams of teaching his students computers the usual way! Don’t you just feel super happy for them?

*sigh* The power of social media just makes you want to give it a hug, doesn’t it? Okay, I know it’s not a tangible thing but *virtual group hug*, guys!