Teacher Laptop distribution ends in July

Government has so far distributed a total of two hundred and eighty thousand nine hundred and three (280,903) laptops to teachers across the country as at June this year.

The figure leaves some thirty-four thousand five hundred and sixty-two laptops yet to be distributed.

Exclusive data chanced on by kasapafmonline.com also reveals a 15th June to 30th July 2024 scheduled deadline for remaining laptop computers to be distributed.

Among those to benefit from the outstanding distribution are 21,482 Primary school teachers; 3,402 teachers on Study Leave and 9,678 staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The government of Ghana, in its quest to enhance education delivery through information technology, launched the One Teacher One Laptop programme to highlight the importance of ICT-mediated Teacher Professional Development (TPD).

Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia launched the initiative in September 2021 under an aggressive programme to strategically influence teaching and learning outcomes in pre-tertiary educational institutions nationwide.

Under the programme, every teacher in the public school from Kindergarten to the senior high school are to receive a computer laptop each to aid them in teaching lessons preparation, research and learning.

Government will pay 70 per cent of the cost of the laptop while each teacher pays the remaining 30 per cent.

K A Technologies, a locally based ICT firm, is the manufacturer of the laptops.

Earlier this year, there were agitations from a section of teacher groups that some 10,000 of their members were yet to benefit from the programme even though many other teachers had received their computers in previous phases of distribution.

Our checks reveal that some 92,071 primary school teachers nationwide have so far received laptops while 91,678 and 62,292 of their counterparts in junior high schools and senior high schools respectively have benefited from the initiative. The number of Kindergarten teachers who have received laptops stood at 34,859 as at the time of filing this report.

On regional basis, the Ashanti Region tops the list with 54,852 beneficiary teachers, followed by Eastern Region with 31,892 teachers; 27,514 in Central Region; 22,666 teachers in the Greater Accra Region and 20,584 teachers in the Volta Region.

The Savannah Region have so far received the least number of laptops going to some 3,859 teachers in the Region.

It is expected that by 30th July, 2024 every teacher in the public school including those on Study Leave and selected GES Staff would have received their laptops.

Many education watchers including teacher unions and education think-tanks have commended government for the initiative, describing it as a demonstration of the willingness on behalf of the Government of Ghana to shift toward ICT-based teaching and learning.

The laptops also allow teachers to easily access digital online training through National Teaching Council approved modules – reducing the barriers to digital tools so that teaching remains in line with National Teachers Standards across the country.