Govt's handling of smart tablets initiative disappointing

The implementation of the One Student, One Tablet initiative by the government has sparked criticism from the Minority in Parliament.

They allege that the authorities responsible for the rollout have bypassed and sidelined the Education Committee, neglecting its role and input in the process.

President Akufo-Addo revealed plans to distribute smart tablets to 1.3 million senior high school students nationwide during the launch of the Ghana Smart Schools Project in Accra on Monday, March 25, 2024.

This initiative aims to equip students benefiting from the free SHS policy with crucial technological skills, in line with the government’s commitment to leveraging technology for educational advancement.

Dr Clement Apaak, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, expressed disappointment with the lack of involvement of the committee in this intervention in an interview with Citi News.

He highlighted the committee’s responsibility to oversee all educational matters in the country and lamented the absence of opportunities for members of the committee to examine the tablets, understand their content, and assess their utility before the policy was rolled out.

“We have been sidelined because ideally, we have a mandate to oversee every and anything to do with the education of this country. So for the committee not to have been allowed to see the tablet for a demonstration of how they were to be used, to be done for us to see and assess, to get a better understanding of the content thereof, clearly it is a slap in the face of the committee.

“It suggests that the committee is not being given the needed recognition that it deserves. I can tell you that the committee is not enthused at all about the way and manner this tablet issue has been handled.”