'Give us full rollout for tablet sharing in schools' – Minority to Education Ministry

The Minority in Parliament is demanding a comprehensive roadmap from the Ministry of Education for the distribution of tablets to senior high schools under the Ghana Smart Schools Project (GSSP). The group insists that this is necessary to ensure effective monitoring of the distribution process so that no school or student is left out.

This was disclosed by Dr. Clement Apaak, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, during a field visit by committee members to the factory and offices of K A Technologies Ltd in Accra.

K A Technologies is the producer of the Students' Mate Tablets, which the government is distributing to schools as part of the One Student – One Tablet initiative, aimed at promoting digitalized teaching and learning.

The Committee's visit fulfilled their oversight responsibilities concerning the education sector and was in compliance with the performance of their constitutional mandates.

The parliamentary delegation toured the company's production lines, aftercare, and call centers, and interacted with management, who briefed them on the company's operations.

The Committee was led by its Chairman, Hon. Kwabena Amankwah Asiamah, Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa, and included the Ranking Member, Hon. Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, Member of Parliament for Akatsi North.

Mr. Lawrence Hornuvo, the General Manager of the company, reiterated the company's commitment to producing high-quality products and services for its clients, including the government. "We pride ourselves on delivering robust, quality products and services in a timely manner, and so far, this has not been compromised," he told the committee.

Hon. Kwabena Asiamah commended the company for its impressive work and urged them to work harder to ensure every student gains access to a tablet to facilitate their learning. "Actually, coming here has clarified our thoughts on how these tablets will reach the students; we now fully understand what is on the tablet, its usage, and the distribution pattern, including the quantities to be distributed," he said.

He expressed hope that the government would ensure prompt payments to enable the company to fulfill its side of the contract. "We have also learned that the government is not paying for everything before production; the company is ahead of the government, and we would like to encourage the government to expedite payments to them to fast-track the process of ensuring all students in the country receive their tablets," he added.

Dr. Clement Apaak, also the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of their visit. "So far, what we have seen is reassuring. We received a detailed briefing about the tablets, their functionality, capacity, and we visited the unit where the tablets are being assembled. It is also exciting that this is a local company, which means that the jobs created will benefit Ghanaians, and the money paid for the tablets will also benefit Ghanaians," he said.

He emphasized that his side of the house is keen on ensuring that no student or school is left out of the project. "We have been told that the distribution will be done in phases; we want a full rollout, and that is what we are looking for," he stated.

The Members of Parliament were accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Education, the TVET Commission, and the Free SHS Secretariat.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the Ghana Smart Schools Project in March of this year. The project involves converting existing schools into smart schools and providing technology-assisted devices to both teachers and students to enhance teaching, learning, and research.