Govt to buy 1.3m tablets

-For pre tertiary students-President Akufo-Addo

By Daniel NONOR, Accra

Government through the Ministry of Education has begun the distribution of some 1.3 million tablets to public Senior High School and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students across the country.

The initiative, dubbed the “One student, One laptop” project under the Smart School Project Initiative, aims to provide teaching and learning management systems, digital content, and electronic devices to all Senior High and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools across the country.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who officially launched the Smart School project at the International Conference Center in Accra yesterday, said the initiative was in furtherance of his government’s digitalization agenda in the education sector to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

“Government is proceeding with plans to distribute 1.3 million educational tablets to students in Senior High Schools. That is one student per tablet under the government Smart Schools Project,” he announced.

The President expressed the government’s commitment to extend its digitalization agenda to all levels of the country’s educational system to help offer a 21st-century learning experience and empower students to favorably compete on a global stage.

“At the tertiary level, the government plans to provide tablets and laptops to students and lecturers at a discounted price to facilitate academic work,” the President added.

President Nana Addo explained that the initiative to digitize the school system resulted from lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, which necessitated the closure of schools across the country.

He stressed that the pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in various sectors of the country, including the educational sector.

He further noted that although the free SHS policy instituted by his government has been successful in granting access to all, the next phase of the policy would be propelled by digitalization. This, he said, would allow for a seamless offline teaching and learning experience to produce better outcomes.

“The enhanced Free SHSs will be environmentally friendly, boost academic performance fitted with interactive displays, interactive learning, and increase productivity, which is what has given birth to the Ghana Smart School Project.”

The President also announced plans by the government to build 100 smart schools in all 16 regions across the country, stating that the first 30 of these schools would be completed this year, with the remaining 70 expected to be completed within the next two years.

The schools will be provided with solar panels and digitalised infrastructure.

This is to enhance teaching and learning for transformative and futuristic education.

Additionally, President Akufo-Addo mentioned that the smart school buildings will be fitted with solar panels, enabling them to operate independently of the national electricity grid.

These schools will also feature digitized infrastructure aimed at advancing teaching and learning.

The physical infrastructure will take into account the unique climatic conditions of each region, creating a conducive atmosphere for learning.

“The Ghana Smart School Project is in alignment with the government’s promise to enhance the free Senior High School program leveraging technological advancement to enable students to compete globally,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo also announced an ongoing program by the Ministry of Education where 200,000 laptops have already been distributed to teachers in pre-tertiary institutions nationwide.

These initiatives, according to the President, seek to deepen the application of IT in teaching and learning at the secondary cycle level with the aim to enhance teaching methodology and also the performance of students, better preparing them for higher education and competitive careers.

“I am confident that we can build a future where every Ghanaian child has access to a world-class education and unlocks full potential. Let us embrace this opportunity to transform our schools into hubs of innovation and excellence. Let us work tirelessly to ensure that no child is left behind in the digital age.”

Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, also highlighted the government’s continuous investments in Ghana’s educational sector, focusing on infrastructure development and improving access to quality education.

He noted that despite the country’s economic challenges, the government is committed to rolling out a series of programs to propel education across the country.

According to Dr. Adutwum, the government will ensure that no child is left behind as the government continues to build a strong and robust education f this economy will stand the test of time. This is the foundation.”