Is the one student, one tablet initiative the epitome of Ghanaian leaders’ lack of priority?

Recently, various news outlets have reported the launch of a Ghana Smart Schools Project on February 25, 2024 by his excellency the president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Check out some of the articles on Adom Online, Ghana Web, and Yen. Under the project, according to the Ghana Web report, 1.3 million Senior High School (SHS) students are to receive a tablet computer each. The project is aimed at equipping the students with essential technological skills in order to advance education through technology. According to some reports, these tablets will be loaded with educational learning materials that will help the students in the learning process.

Considering the current digital age in which we live, it’s proper to think about bringing the younger generation up to speed with digital technology as quickly as possible. Therefore, the one student, one tablet initiative under the Ghana Smart Schools Project is a laudable idea. My Joy Online’s Michael Ampadu beautifully discussed four benefits of the one student, one tablet initiative. In his view, the one student, one tablet initiative has the following benefits:

• Empowering Digital Learning and Skill Development
• Bridging the Technology Gap and Promoting Inclusivity
• Enhancing Career Readiness and Employability
• Driving Innovation and Technological Advancement

The above are general benefits of being exposed to digital technology. As relevant as these benefits are to our country, the efforts put into making them equitably accessible has to be measured against other factors and needs.

Pre-tertiary Teachers on Strike

Members of pre-tertiary teacher unions are currently on strike. Among the reasons for the strike is the fact that government has not provided all of their members with the laptops for which they deducted monies from the teachers’ professional development allowances more than two years ago (see this press release from All Teachers Alliance Ghana against the deduction at the time). This begs two questions: Is the government so broke that after taking monies from the teachers, it cannot provide them with the laptops, yet it can find money to buy 1.3 million tablet computers for the very students these teachers are teaching? Or is the government simply trying to cheat these teachers out of their monies? In so doing, they’re keeping the students happy and satisfied, but keeping the teachers sad and discontented. Without motivated teachers, are the tablet computers going to teach the students?

CETAG’s Arbitral Award

The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) went on several strikes over the past two years, culminating in a National Labour Commission (NLC) arbitral award to them, in which the government was to implement certain allowances and pay certain compensations. The government has broken several deadlines and is yet to honour the said arbitral awards. The excuse has always been that there’s no money. Here, the trainers of the students’ trainers are being sidelined, disrespect and discriminated against. Without money to honour the arbitral awards, the govern has money to buy a tablet computer for every SHS student. How can such teachers be motivated to produce the teaching force that the pre-tertiary level needs.

Dissatisfaction Everywhere

It is not only pre-tertiary and college teachers who have resorted to strikes as a last resort to drive home their displeasure about being maltreated by our governments. University teachers, technical university teachers, non-teaching staff and other associations have all laid down their tools at some point for unsatisfactory response of government to their legitimate demands.

Disregard for Law and Order, Disrespect for Teachers

I see a government that has no regard for law and order. All of the demands made by these unions have always been legitimate. Yet the government uses all kinds of illegal means and threats to quash strikes and silence most of the striking unions. The government has no money to fulfil its legal obligations to various groups of teaching and non-teaching staff but it has the money to spend on something it has no legal obligation to fulfil, namely, providing SHS students with tablet computers. By being able to procure the tablet computers for the SHS students, it can be said that the government has money but is blatantly refusing to honour its legal obligations to teachers. This smells of disrespect for the teaching profession, even though they claim the opposite with their lips.

Is this project sustainable?

According to this news item on Ghana Web, the minority have claimed that the government has procured only 450,000 tablet computers, and that there’s no provision in any budget for acquiring more. If that is the case, then only a few students will get the devices. In that case, the government has no intention of equipping our younger generations with essential technological skills for competing in the current technological world. Besides, if the government can only provide these few tablet computers to a few students, how is it going to finance the acquisition of more tablet computers for futures batches of SHS students. Is it possible that the government knows that this project is not sustainable, or even feasible, but it is deliberately creating a loot and share situation for its members?

Possible Challenges With the Use of the Tablet Computers

There are a number of challenges that may arise to render the tablets ineffective in fulfilling their purpose.

They can get lost or damaged

Many of these tablet computers are going to get lost or damaged before long through natural events such as theft, misplacement, dropping, etc. This would take the affected students back to square one.

Durability

It appears that everything procured by the government is substandard. From the rLG Better Ghana laptops during the John Mahama era to the teachers’ TM1 laptops of the Akuffo Addo era, we have witnessed some of the devices breaking down completely within a month of being delivered. I’m not trying to be a doomsday prophet, but I don’t expect anything better this time too. This may end up being money thrown down the drain.

Data cost

As part of the technological revolution, access to internet is one of the central things that would make these tablet computers fulfil their full potential. It is the internet that opens up the world to the students. However, as data is so expensive in Ghana, coupled with the harsh economy, many students will find it difficult acquiring data to maximize the benefits of the devices. It would be expected that the government would tackle the economic issues to get data prices down to enable the students acquire the necessary connectivity.

Internet accessibility

Internet accessibility is still a challenge in many places, especially in the rural areas. Even in some parts of the regional capitals, there are still grey areas in terms of internet coverage. As a problem that will decrease the productivity of the devices, it’s only fair to expect that it should have been addressed first.

Many students are too lazy to study

A very important fact that is being ignored is that many of the students of today are too lazy to study. Anybody who works in the teaching field today should not need any empirical evidence to accept this fact. The spade of reported and unreported examination malpractices during BECE and WASSCE examinations is a testament to this fact. I can imagine most students using these devices for watching movies and exploring social media (those who can afford the data) to the neglect of their studies. These devices will become a curse to some students. Are there any measures in place to ensure that these devices are used properly? I guess, only time will tell, since according to the minority there’s not even a modus operandi for the distribution of the few tablets acquire: there’s no plan.

Where are our Priorities as a Country?

No wonder the executive director of Centre for Public Opinion and Awareness (CenPOA) describes the one student, one tablet initiative a “very big misplaced priority”, according to a Ghana Web report. Our priorities seem to be all wrong. We’re caring for the milk but neglecting the cow that produces the milk. In this short post, I have revealed a number of pertinent factors that are likely to render the one student, one tablet initiative ineffective. It will be hard to convince me that the government is not aware of these issues. What prevented the government from addressing the issues that are more serious barriers to education in general and the one student, one tablet initiative in particular with the little (as they claim) money it has?