The Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC), and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have called on the government to immediately discontinue the initiative of 1 Student 1 laptop, and ensure that basic schools have the full complement of textbooks.
According to a statement issued by these organizations, in order to “pursue digital
learning in SHS, the government should invest in ICT libraries in SHS, and strengthen the quality and reliability of internet services and maintenance of ICT equipment in SHS.”
The notice added that “although CSOs are in total support of government’s education transformation agenda through among others digital inclusion within the public education system, the approaches government adopt must reflect spending efficiency, equitable, and prioritized spending, especially in this period of austerity where the education budget has been significantly cut down to below the minimum international benchmark of 15 per cent.”
These organizations are also begging for answers on the science and data that informed the government’s decision to consider procuring laptops for 1.3 million SHS students as a replacement for printed textbooks.
“We call on Parliament to reject any portion of this arrangement that appears before the House, especially an anticipated request for Tax Exemption We shall continue to urge the Ministry of
Education to consult stakeholders, including CSOs, before hatching such audacious initiatives. The lack of prior consultation on major decisions of the Ministry of Education is a major challenge the government must address in the education sector,” the notice hinted.
