Government covering 70% cost of One Teacher One Laptop policy
One Teacher One Laptop machines are of high quality, says Fixing the Country Ghana
Pro-government group, FixingTheCountry Ghana has chided the opposition, National Democratic Congress, for seeking political gains from the purchase of laptops for teachers across the country.
FixingTheCountry claims the NDC is fuelling propaganda in a bid to secure political benefit from the issue.
At a press conference on Thursday, December 9, 2021, Fadi Dabbousi, a leading member of the FixingTheCountry Ghana group mounted a spirited defence of the deal.
He stressed that the government’s decision to cover 70% of the cost per laptop was a demonstration of its commitment to assisting teachers to deliver a quality teaching learning experience.
Fadi Dabbousi said that contrary to claims from certain quarters about the integrity and cost of the laptop, the machines are of high quality and cost relatively cheaper than market value.
“Now, it must be established that the teachers were to pay 30% after government paid her share of 70% of the overall cost of the laptops which came at a price of GH₵1,550 per unit. I should state that the price is one of the most reasonable at all for a laptop that has high specs.
“Children’s laptops that are basic cost more than that, so why is dust being thrown into the eyes of Ghanaians without fear of GOD and with no regard to the faculty of the nation; this nation that the government of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo from onslaught of his mandate had hit the ground running to ensure that we grew exponentially once the solid foundations were built. Are we not tired of the NDC nation wreckers and their unpalatable lies?,” Peacefmonline.com quoted him.
Fadi Dabbousi exhorted the minds of the Ghanaian populace to the contract signed between the then government of John Mahama and RLG in which he believes the country was offered a raw deal.
“It hasn’t been so long that Ghanaians should forget the RLG contracts that John Mahama dished to his friend, Agambire, to supply laptops that were paid for, but not executed! It has not been so long that Ghanaians should forget the manner in which John Mahama bamboozled the nation with an afforestation contract worth tens of millions of Ghana cedis to this same friend, which was not executed to any appreciable level!
“It has not been so long that Ghanaians should forget the contracts given to, again, this same friend of his to train thousands of youth in IT, which fell flat on its face! “The moneys were paid and pocketed, but the nation ended up shortchanged. Then the $10 billion USD Hope City on which money was spent for nothing. It has not been so long that Ghanaians should forget the hoax of the Prampram airport that cost people millions of cedis in failed and misguided investments.”
Whiles urging disgruntled teachers whom he ascribes to be NDC to return the laptop, Fadi Dabbousi said the Ghana Education Service followed due process in the procurement of the equipment.
“The GES laptop deal went through all the processes of procurement within the mandate duration of the government in November 2020, yet we do not seem to appreciate the due diligence that was done according to the laid down rules and regulations.”
The supply of laptops to the teachers has become an issue with former Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh being criticized for supposedly purchasing materials of inferior goods.
In an interview with Peace FM, NAPO debunked the allegations it was the government that took the initiative to get the teachers the laptops.
“GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT [Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers] came to my office with a letter saying they had spoken with teachers, and they are going to buy computers and have signed a contract to give 280,000 teachers laptops,” he said in an interview on Peace FM.
“They said they would be taking GH¢1,500. They asked that because of the new curriculum and teacher licensing, and teacher lesson notes, they needed laptops, so the government should help and pay some of the cost for the teachers.”]
Fadi Dabbousi addressing the press conference