The Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng has announced the government’s plan to extend the Smart School initiative to basic schools.

According to him, the Smart Schools project is not only limited to Senior High Schools (SHS), and the Ministry plans to launch a new initiative that focuses on STEM classrooms.

Speaking on the Pulse on Thursday, April 4, Mr Kwarteng dismissed claims by the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama that the launch of the Smart School project by the government was to solicit for votes in the upcoming general elections.

He cited a newly-built kindergarten in Kwabenya by the government, stating that the school is equipped with smart facilities even though the kids are not eligible for voting.

Read also: Mahama accuses government of using free tablet distribution to solicit votes

Mr Kwarteng urged the public to consider the long-term impact of government policies, rather than rushing to judge them based on political affiliation.

“We need to have a strong and clear balance and try to distinguish the politics of the day from very sensitive national issues,” he said.

Mr Kwarteng stated that the NDC must understand the changing trends in education in the global dynamics.

“We are not training students just to read and write alone. We are not training students to memorize and chew and pour. We are training students who are assertive, who are critical thinkers, who are problem-solvers and who at the end of the day, the kind of education that they will have will have an impact on the socioeconomic transformation.”

The Ministry of Education PRO emphasised that the success of a government initiative does not necessarily translate into votes for the governing party.

He further cited the digitalization of the port, noting that while the initiative has been largely successful, it does not mean that everyone who works at the port will vote for the NPP.

Similarly, he said that the widespread adoption of the Ghana Card does not guarantee that all Ghanaians will vote for the NPP.

“So, we need to elevate the conversation. We need to benchmark the conversation in a way that is very holistic and not necessarily play politics with everything.”