I TOO CAN PROGRAM (i2CAP)

The beginning of a new decade is here! 2010 offers many new and exciting opportunities.  We are pleased to inform all government approved Senior High Schools  of a nationwide training programme for ICT instructors and students in how to code using C/C++ Computer Programming Languages. These languages are recognised for being robust and dependable.  This event will involve training of  some 300 SHS nationwide using a blended learning approach involving both face to face and online resources to be followed by a national school competition.

The training for this year aims at providing the best for the participating schools. As a result, the entire country will be demarcated into localities based on SHS density or SHS spatial distribution to ensure that schools receive the needed support during and after training.

The distance on-line training will be followed by three zonal face-to-face training events to address challenges of the instructors.

There will be two kinds of competition:
Local Level Competition
In this competition students will represent their schools at national competitions. There will be two national contests. One contest for the privileged SHS and another for less-endowed SHS, the classification will be based on Ghana Education Service criteria. This move is intended to facilitate competition. Winners of the national competition will be crowned as the best Computer Programming Schools at SHS level at the various categories. The national winner will also be rewarded with a fully networked computer laboratory, if the school is able to provide laboratory space. There will be several consolation prizes for other winners and  participating schools.

International Level Competition
This is an open National Competition for young Ghanaian individuals below the age of 20. All contestants should not be students of any tertiary institution and must be in SHS or should have graduated within 1 year from date of the contest. The best 6- 10 coders/programmers of this competition will be mentored on data structures using C/C++ programing languages.  This will be followed by another contest to select the best four (4) coders to represent Ghana in the 2010 International Olympiad  in Informatics( IOI) events  in Canada from August 14 -21, 2010.

The i2CAP project established in 2004 has since trained over 300 ICT instructors from more than 250 schools nationwide in computer programming using Q-BASIC and Ruby. This has generated tremendous interest in computer programming among SHS students with many of them continuing to pursue professional careers in computer science and related areas as well as computer science at the Tertiary level.

Under this project many schools were introduced to computer programming through regional competitions. The three best schools at each of the regional competitions  were awarded with brand new desktop computers whilst all participating schools were provided with computer science, mathematics and science textbooks. Other competitions include national open competition for young Ghanaian individuals, winners of which were awarded brand new laptops. Ghana was also represent at  2008 and 2009 events in Egypt and Bulgaria respectively.

As always, the i2CAP is a chance for you to learn computer programming, make friendships, exchange information, gain knowledge, and learn from each other. It is a perfect platform to launch an exciting career in ICT and have fun in a healthy competitive atmosphere, an opportunity to represent Ghana at an international event, the International Olympiad in Informatics. We encourage teachers and students especially girls and SHS 1 and even JHS students to participate in the i2CAP events. Yes, you CAN become a distinguished and talented computer programmer through i2CAP!

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