It has been barely a month since the 2024/25 academic year commenced in senior high schools, senior high technical schools, and technical and vocational education training (TVET) institutions, yet the pressure is already mounting on school authorities to distribute the computer tablets supplied by the Education Ministry to support digitalised learning.

According to sources, while some schools received these devices as early as April, they remain locked in storage facilities rather than being distributed to students.

This situation is undermining the purpose of the state-sponsored Ghana Smart Schools Project, designed to enhance teaching and learning through technology.

In March, President Nana Akufo-Addo launched the Ghana Smart Schools Project, an initiative aimed at digitally transforming education and aligning Ghana with the fourth industrial revolution.

The project involves building new smart schools, converting existing structures, and equipping students and teachers with digital learning tools such as laptops and tablets.

Although the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, announced that the tablet distribution would begin in October 2024, some schools in 14 regions are yet to receive their supplies.

In contrast, over 50,000 tablets have reportedly been delivered to close to 20 schools in the Ashanti Region, with smaller quantities supplied to some schools in Accra.

This uneven distribution has sparked concerns from Dr Clement Apaak, Deputy Ranking Member of the Education Committee in Parliament, who called the disparity discriminatory.

“It is not fair for some schools to have and others not to have. Budgetary provision was made to purchase the devices for 1.4 million children from all schools,” he said.

Some students in Accra and Kumasi expressed frustration over the delay, claiming they have not been informed about when they will receive the tablets.

“We saw the items in boxes when they brought them in trucks. We were made to convey them to the storeroom, and that was it. No one has said anything to us again about it,” a student revealed.

Teachers and staff, who spoke anonymously, confirmed receiving the tablets but speculated that the timing of their arrival, coinciding with the final exams of third-year students, might have influenced the delay in distribution.

“School authorities will likely distribute them after the new academic year’s admissions are completed,” one tutor stated.

Kwabena Asiamah, Chairman of the Education Committee in Parliament, stressed the urgency of distributing the devices.

“Schools that have received their consignments must give them to the students. They are the ultimate beneficiaries. What then becomes of the purpose of the initiative?” he questioned.

Some school officials suggested that the delay might be due to a lack of official directives from the Ghana Education Service (GES) or the Ministry of Education.

Additionally, schools are reportedly awaiting policy guidelines and user protocols to regulate the deployment and usage of the tablets.

For first-year students enrolled in the new SHS curriculum, access to these tablets could ease the burden of carrying textbooks, as the devices come preloaded with a Learning Management System, including digital textbooks.

Despite attempts to obtain a response from the Ministry of Education, no official statement has been made regarding the delays.

This intervention, while promising to revolutionise education, now faces a critical test as stakeholders and students call for swift action to ensure its objectives are realized.