Isaac Ofori, The President of the group known as All Teachers Alliance Ghana, has hinted that, teachers did not only pay for 30 percent of the cost of the laptops under the One Teacher, One Laptop policy.
According to him, teachers also covered the 70 percent cost that government promised to finance.
Explaining further, he shared that the company contracted to produce and distribute the laptops did not have the funds to start the production and distribution of the laptops. Thus, the Ghana Education Service Occupational Pension Scheme (GESOPS) released the teachers’ pension tier two monies to K.A Technologies to fund the 70% cost of which government is expected to pay back.
He made this known during an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy 98.9FM.
“Even though, the minister wrote to PPA to ensure that the company recommended by the teachers’ unions, K.A Technology, will go through without competitive bidding, the company was financially handicapped.
So, to ensure that K.A Technology can produce and distribute the laptops, GESOPS handed over the teachers’ pension tier two monies to K.A Technology to fund the initial production and distribution.”
Isaac added that even with the initial production and distribution, the company was only able to distribute 10,000 out of the 280,000 it had agreed to distribute.
Background
Under the One teacher, One laptop policy, the government required that teachers pay 30 percent of the cost of GHS 1,550 through deductions from their salaries while it paid 70 percent.
Recent developments has it that teachers have been deducted GH₵509 from the teachers’ professional development allowance as part of the payment of the government’s one-teacher one laptop policy.
This has been met with mixed reactions from the teachers. For example, a group known as All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG), has announced its decision to embark on a demonstration to express its displeasure over the deduction.
The Innovative Teachers Association Ghana, however, believes demonstrating is a waste of time as there is pending court case on the matter.
By: Alberta Dorcas Naa Dedei James
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