Telecom giant MTN Ghana has joined the global community to mark Africa Safer Internet Day-2023 with a call on Senior High School students to observe cybersecurity safety measures to ensure their safety online.
Head of Corporate Affairs-MTN Ghana, Angela Adu-Ampofo, interacting with the elective ICT students of Osu Presbyterian Senior High School (Osu PRESEC) in Accra stated that apart from the voice, data and mobile money services it offers. MTN is also passionate about empowering children online.
“MTN wants to ensure that you are not being bullied on the Internet while also equipping you to safely use it. Apart from that, we also want you to be able to use the Internet to work productively and make good use of the available online platforms,” she stated.
Citing an online penetration report by the United Nations (UN) for 2021, she said about 36 percent of Ghanaian kids accessed the Internet or used screen-based devices during that year.
Prince Essandoh, Senior Lead, IT Governance and Compliance at MTN, taking the students through online safety lessons, cautioned them against cyber-bullying and other negative online proclivities.
“The best way of not participating in cyber-bullying is by not responding to unkind remarks that are sent to your DM, by either known or unknown persons. If someone sends you a message and you realise that the remark doesn’t sit well with you, don’t respond to it. Make sure you block any form of cyber-bullying and then tell a trusted adult. You can, tell your teachers, your parents or any of the staff here you trust,” he said while educating the ICT students of Osu PRESEC on how to stay safe online.
He added: “Be careful you don’t click on links in unsolicited emails through which most phishing links are sent. Those unwanted links are designed to lure you into downloading a virus”.
On her part, Senior Manager for Enterprise Security and Governance-MTN Jacqueline Hanson Kotei, also cautioned the students against the habit of self-disclosure, saying: “Be mindful about how you share your personal information with others on the Internet, because you do not know who may be receiving them.
“Some of us have our birthdays and we give the location of our houses. And we have a lot of information online. What happens when we share our personal information online? Some may get shared again by someone else. Let’s be mindful of the things we share,” she reiterated while encouraging students not to hesitate in reporting fraudulent/inappropriate Internet activities to relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, Vincent Esoah – Headmaster of the Osu PRESEC School, has made a passionate appeal to MTN Ghana, government, and all benevolent organisations to come to his school’s aid with computers for ICT teaching and learning.
In a startling revelation, he told the B&FT and other journalists who attended the programme that: “Osu PRESEC is computer ICT elective school with about 308 students, but we have only 33 computers presently. The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) requires that we sit in only 2 sessions; and so, as I stand here, I am thinking of cutting down the number of pupils who will be doing the ICT”.
He however expressed hope that: “If we get a little support in terms of even used computers, we will be very glad – so that we can have each child having a computer, especially during the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Every year, we rent to write ICT”.
Counting on their support, Esoah said: “For MTN Ghana, I know you have a big heart to support the needy. If you are planning your charitable contributions to society, please remember Osu PRESEC”.
While lauding MTN for taking it upon itself to allow customers and the public at large to use its facilities, the headmaster also expressed gratitude to the telecom giant for making Osu PRESEC a preferred choice to mark the ‘Africa Safer Internet Day’ event that came under the theme ‘Get involved and promote a safer Internet’.
