Abstract:

Senior high schools require programming tuition with hands-on learning to equip students with real-world skills. However, students in rural African senior high schools often lack the internet access and software tools necessary for practical lessons. To bridge this gap, this research proposes a cost-effective, offline solution: a Raspberry Pi-based server that creates a localized, web-hosted Python programming environment, directly addressing the infrastructure limitations in underserved communities.

Introduction and Background:
Africa’s demographic profile, characterized by the world’s youngest population, suggests a significant potential for knowledge-based economy development. Recent analyses note that Ghana’s digitalization in education is progressing but remains constrained by uneven device availability, inconsistent internet access, and limited localized digital content in rural areas [1]. This case study of Ghana, where urban senior high schools win international technology competitions, and their colleges in rural areas cannot perform basic coding functions due to a lack of infrastructure and internet access. This study seeks to provide an offline web-based environment for programming environment where students will learn and run code on cost cost-effective Moodle Learning management system on a smart smartphone, even if they do not have laptops.

Related Literature:
In relation to a Web-based Python lesson with an Offline Raspberry Pi server for rural senior high schools in Ghana, we looked at related scholars' work for this study. Kumalija, Fatih, and Sun [2] investigated how students felt about using Sun Lab, a mobile program visualization tool for Android devices, to study programming. With Sun Lab, students may interact with smartphone sensors like the camera and GPS, create pseudo-code, and see how a program is executed step-by-step. Issues like tiny screen widths and trouble utilizing special characters on mobile keyboards were mentioned. Research by Khan et al. [3] demonstrated the viability of using low-cost hardware, such as the Raspberry Pi, to host educational applications and learning materials locally, effectively creating a self-contained programming environment without internet dependency. Also, pedagogical findings suggest that contextually relevant, offline-accessible curricula significantly enhance student engagement and learning outcomes [4].

References:
[1] R. C. Ekumah, “ An Analysis of Ghana’s National ICT Policy in Education,” Doctoral dissertation, (2025).
[2] E. J. F. Y. &. S. Y. Kumalija, “Students' Perception towards Program Visualization on Smartphone-Case of SunLab Initial Investigation.,” International Association for Development of the Information Society., (2019).
[3] S. R. R. A. C. M. V. C. L. V. J. A. &. R. V. S. Karthikeyan, “A systematic analysis on raspberry pi prototyping: Uses, challenges, benefits, and drawbacks.,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 10(16), 14397-14417, (2023).
[4] E. McMahon, “Designing Effective Online Courses: Exploring the Relationships Amongst Teaching Self-efficacy, Professional Development, Faculty Experience, and Implementation of Effective Online Course Design Practices.,” (2021).

Keywords:

Learning Management system, Raspberry Pi Offline, Teaching and learning materials, Python Programming, digital divide, and low-resource environment.