People are politically motivated to criticize the One Teacher, One Laptop policy – Education Minister
Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum is not perturbed by naysayers of the One Teacher, One Laptop policy as he solidly defended the said policy.
The reason, why he is not going to be discouraged from carrying out such a policy, was the fact that it has helped in enhancing the efficiency of teachers.
He accused persons against the initiative of just trying to score some cheap political points.
“The President believes we are in the 21st century, so teachers should be able to use the state-of-the-art equipment and stop writing notes. The bottom line for me is that they [teachers] have been given a device that has the full complement of any device that you can find on the market in terms of speed, etc.”
“The most important thing to me is to look at what I will do with these devices. There are times when you hear genuine concerns, but there are times when you know somebody wants to score political points from something that was well thought through.”
Some complaints those against the initiative have raised include the deal was poorly negotiated while others also lamented that the laptops being distributed are not fit for teaching.
One of the main critics of the policy the Innovative Teachers Alliance did not agree with the deduction of GHS509 from the teachers’ professional development allowance for the payment of the laptop.
The Minister said, “We are in a country where everything is seen through the lens of politics. By the time you realise, something you knew was going to serve a good purpose can become an albatross on your neck. One thing I know is that the device is good.”
Mr. Adutwum also insisted that the initiative was effectively managed by his predecessor.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
