President Nana Akufo-Addo says feedback and concerns raised against the controversial ‘One teacher One laptop policy’ will be given due consideration and attention.

Government facilitated the procurement of some 280,000 laptops to be distributed to teachers across the country. The government required that teachers pay 30 per cent of the cost of ¢1,550 through deductions from their salaries while it paid 70 per cent.

Several teacher unions protested this, raising agitations over the quality of the laptops and what they described as the unapproved deductions from their professional development allowance.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) criticised the cost-sharing module in the policy while citing a lack of transparency in its implementation.

They alluded to the ‘failed’ partnership between the government and RLG for laptops meant for school.

At the 6th Quadrennial National Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Kumasi, President Akufo Addo said teachers are happy with the ‘one teacher, one laptop policy’.

“I’m glad to hear how much you welcome the supply of laptops and promise you that the other related matters of concern will be addressed.

“Good relations between GNAT and my government are matters of importance to me, and I will do my very best to promote such a relationship,” he assured.

Mr Akufo-Addo added that expenditure on education has increased to 95% during his tenure as the country's President.

“So great has this government’s commitment to education been that public expenditure on education has almost doubled from ¢20.7 billion between 2013 and 2016, that is in the Mahama era, to ¢40.4 billion between 2017 and 2020, that is in the Akufo-Addo era, representing an increase of some 95%.”

“In addition to the yearly average increase in salaries over the last five years, my government is, for the first time in our nation’s history, paying a professional allowance to teachers. We have abolished the three months’ pay policy for teachers, we have cleared the arrears, and promotions due teachers have also been effected,” he said.

On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, a teacher union, known as All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG) took to some principal streets in Accra to protest the initiative.

The group said it is displeased with government’s decision to deduct an amount of ¢509 from the teachers’ professional development allowance as payment for the one-teacher, one laptop policy.

According to the Union, the deduction is being made when a legal battle that seeks to terminate the initiative's implementation is ongoing.

Some members who spoke to JoyNews at the demonstration called on the government to immediately refund their money, reiterating that the laptops are not fit for purpose.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has said it has been working closely with the unions as far as the initiative is concerned.