President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Reverend Isaac Owusu, has expressed skepticism about the ‘one student, one laptop’ policy.
According to him, government’s failure in implementing the ‘one teacher, one laptop’ policy has created doubts about future laptop-related policies.
“The commitment of the government to honour its decision of meeting the provisions of the laptop is a challenge. Now if you look at even the basic school, government is supposed to provide textbooks for new curriculum at the primary, JHS and even including the secondary schools,” he said.
He disclosed that since 2019, the government has not made provision for some essential textbooks for basic schools.
Rev Owusu added that teachers are also yet to undergo training that will enable them implement a new curriculum in the basic schools.
“Since 2019, from KG1 to class six, the Ministry of Education together with GES has not been able to supply all the textbooks at the primary and KG level. The JHS level are also to start their new curriculum, teachers are yet to receive training to start the implementation.”
He went on, “now the teachers who are teaching the children in 2021, the vice president launched the one teacher, 1 laptop policy, now the promise was that within one year, teachers at the pre-tertiary level, that is from KG to secondary school were to receive laptops.”
“But as I speak to you now, teachers in primary and teachers in administration, they are yet to receive the laptop. So some of us should be surprised that the people that are implementing the new curriculum are yet to receive the laptop and then you leave those people and say now we’re moving to the new level, secondary school to give all students, first and second year students laptops each,” he said on Accra-based TV3.
To him, government should be focused on fulfilling earlier promises and some basic but crucial needs before making new promises.
The government, through the Ministry of Education, is preparing to replace textbooks with laptops in Senior High Schools across the country.
Speaking at
the 60th Anniversary celebration of the Hohoe Evangelical Presbyterian Senior High School, Dr Bawumia announced that textbooks and other teaching and learning materials would be installed on the laptops to be used during lessons on May 27, 2023.
Dr Bawumia said the initiative, which will solely be for first and second years in the secondary schools, would be implemented before the end of 2023.
This bold initiative has sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, with users expressing a mix of excitement, skepticism, and concerns about the implementation and potential impact on students.