The government is supposed to pay 70 percent of the price of the laptops
Teachers belonging to a group calling itself Innovative Teachers have petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice
(CHRAJ) to probe plans by the government to resource teachers in the country with some 280,000 TM1 laptops.
President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the plan to distribute the laptops in his State of the Nation Address.
“I’m happy to announce that the government is facilitating the acquisition of 280,000 laptops for members of Ghana National Association of Teachers
(GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) this year”, the President told
parliament on Tuesday, 9 March 2021.
“I acknowledge that the teacher is at the centre of every reform in the field of education”, the President said.
The government is supposed to pay 70 percent of the price of the laptops (GH¢1,550) per unit while the teachers shoulder the remaining 30 percent
burden.
The teachers, however, say not only is the price high but are not convinced of the brand and quality of the laptops.
About a week ago, the group said if the government wishes to give the Ghanaian teacher a laptop, it must be free and not come at a 30 percent cost to the beneficiary.
The teachers, in a statement signed by their Secretary, Christian Aidoo on Wednesday, 10 March 2021, noted that in accordance with the labour law, it
is the responsibility of the employer, the Ghana Education Service (GES), to provide all the necessary tools for the work of the teacher.
The group stated: “It is instructive to note that the relationship that exists between teachers as employees and Ghana Education Service as the
employer is regulated by law. The Labour Law section 9(a) specifically tasks the employer (GES) to provide the machinery, equipment and tools
needed by the employees (teachers) to work. It is the responsibility of the Ghana Education Service to tool teachers to work.
“This cost-sharing idea of tooling teachers under the cloak of ‘personal assets’ is alien to the Labour Law (Act 651)”,
The group further noted that: “No survey was done to determine the number of teachers who have laptops and teachers who might not be interested in acquiring laptops from the government through cost-sharing.
“Teachers who are interested in paying 30 per cent of the cost of the laptop ought to have signed a consent form that would have formed the premise
to produce a number of laptops in order to prevent waste of public funds.”
It continued: “Procuring 280,000 laptops for all teachers when GES cannot force all teachers to pay 30 percent of the cost of the laptops is a grotesque
waste of public funds and a betrayal of protecting the public purse mantra by the President.
