Pictures: Dr Bawumia commissions ultra-modern Digital Center at Opoku Ware SHS

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, conducted a brief ceremony in Kumasi on Wednesday to officially launch the distribution of the government’s tablet computers to senior high school students in the region.

He assured that every student will receive a tablet to aid in their learning.

Under the government’s One Student One Tablet Programme, implemented by the Ministry of Education, students in public senior high schools will receive a free tablet.

This initiative aims to accelerate ICT-aided teaching and learning, benefiting approximately 1.2 million students. The program was initially launched by President Nana Akufo-Addo earlier this year in Accra.

On March 25th, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the Ghana Smart Schools Project in Accra, stating that existing facilities in public senior high schools will be transformed into Smart Schools, with new structures built where necessary.

As part of this project, high school students will receive free tablets to facilitate learning. Additionally, teachers and staff of the Ghana Education Service will receive free laptops to aid in research, teaching, and learning.

Both the laptops and tablets come preloaded with learning materials, including textbooks.

The Vice President also inaugurated a dedicated school block at Opoku Ware School, named after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The Nana Akufo-Addo Smart Block features classrooms equipped with digital devices such as smart boards, computers, and internet access.

According to the Ministry of Education, Opoku Ware School is now the first Smart School under the Ghana Smart Schools Project.

Addressing the ceremony, the Vice President emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring a digitally modernized environment for teaching and learning in senior high schools across the country.

He explained that recent strategic interventions to digitally reform the school environment aim to ensure that graduates of the country’s education system fully embrace and participate in the fourth industrial revolution.

Vice President Bawumia, who is also the Presidential Candidate for the New Patriotic Party in the December general elections, described the occasion as historic.

He stated, “Ghana is among the few countries in the world where the government has supplied students with tablet computers to ensure the future does not elude our children.”

The Minister for Education and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwi, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, addressed the gathering at Opoku Ware School, stating, “Ghana cannot be left out of the digital age.”

He encouraged the students to face the 4th Industrial Revolution with pride and a growth mindset.

The Headmaster of the school and National President of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Schools (CHASS), Rev. Fr. Steven Owusu Sekyere, pledged to make good use of the facilities and mentioned that measures have been put in place to prevent abuse.

The Bishop of the Archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Kumasi, Bishop Gabriel Yaw Anokye, commended the government for its efforts in transforming educational institutions.

The Vice President presented tablets to some students, with all senior high schools in the region expected to distribute the tablets at no cost.

A total of approximately 1.2 million students in public senior high schools across the country will benefit from the free gadgets.

The Vice President was accompanied by members of Parliament, senior party officials, and education managers.

The distribution of tablets began in March, with many schools already distributing the tablets to their students under different phases of the project’s distribution plan.

The Ghana Smart Schools Project aims to strengthen and enhance the quality, delivery, and outcomes of the Free Senior High Schools Programme, also known as Free SHS.

Earlier this week, the government announced plans to introduce a Free SHS Act in Parliament to support the program.