GNAT CASTS UNCERTAINTY ON BAWUMIA’S COMMITMENT TO THE ‘ONE STUDENT, ONE LAPTOP’ PLEDGE.

The President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Reverend Isaac Owusu, has voiced doubts regarding the effectiveness of the ‘one student, one laptop’ policy. He highlights the government’s failure in implementing the ‘One teacher, One laptop’ policy, which has led to skepticism about future laptop-related policies.

Rev. Owusu raises concerns about the government’s commitment to fulfill its promise of providing laptops. He points out that even at the basic school level, the government is expected to supply textbooks for the new curriculum in primary, Junior High School (JHS), and secondary schools. However, since 2019, essential textbooks for basic schools have not been provided by the government.

Additionally, Rev. Owusu reveals that teachers have not received the necessary training to implement the new curriculum in basic schools. He emphasizes that from KG1 to class six, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have failed to supply all the required textbooks. Moreover, teachers at the JHS level are yet to undergo training for the new curriculum implementation.

Rev. Owusu further expresses disappointment that despite the launch of the ‘one teacher, one laptop’ policy in 2021, primary school teachers and teachers in administration have not received laptops as promised. He questions the government’s decision to move ahead with providing laptops to secondary school students before fulfilling their earlier promises and addressing essential needs.

The government, represented by the Ministry of Education, plans to replace textbooks with laptops in Senior High Schools (SHS) nationwide.

During the 60th Anniversary celebration of the Hohoe Evangelical Presbyterian SHS, Vice President Dr. Bawumia announced that laptops would be equipped with textbooks and other teaching materials for use during lessons starting on May 27, 2023. This initiative is set to be implemented for first and second-year students in SHS by the end of 2023.

The announcement of this ambitious initiative has generated a range of reactions on social media. Users express a mixture of excitement, skepticism, and concerns about the implementation process and the potential impact on students.