“Daniel Fenyi Advocates for Reordering Education Sector Priorities”

Yesterday was a dark day in the education sector as the President Nana Akufo-Addo initiative to commenced the one student one laptop project in the Free Senior High School which is confronted with shortfall in funding, feeding and deficit in infrastructural needs urgent attention than the one student one laptop project.
Strangely the basic and Free Senior High School has been denied curriculum and textbooks and teaching materials and this he believes needs urgent attention than the government’s decision to provide laptops to each SHS student.
An Educationist Daniel Fenyi and a lecturer at UPSA said this on Adekyee Mu Nsem morning show on Ahotor 92.3 FM and hosted by Citizen Kofi Owusu in Accra.
He is of the view that the government priority in development of education is lopsided and he thinks the challenges confronting the entire education sector is more than what the set to do, without trying to consider the school code of conduct that ban the use of cell phone in Senior High Schools.
Addressing dignitaries during the launch of the Ghana Smart Schools Project in Accra on Monday, March 25, 2024, the President explained that the project is geared toward equipping students under the free SHS policy with essential technological skills, aligning with the government’s commitment to advancing education through technology.

“The government continues to seek innovative ways to boost further the Free SHS policy. The government is convinced that the next phase of Free SHS enhancement will be propelled by digitization.
However, according the reports “Since 2019, from KG1 to class six, the Ministry of Education together with GES has not been able to supply all the textbooks at the primary and KG level. The JHS level are also to start their new curriculum, teachers are yet to receive training to start the implementation.”
Going forward last year, Vice President Dr. Mahanudu Bawumia announced the government’s decision to provide laptops to each SHS student, and the realisation of this dream, further demonstrates the government’s commitment to secondary education, having made education at that level free since 2017.
The laptops are preloaded with programmes, including textbooks, and they can be accessed anywhere in the country offline (without the internet).
With the laptops, students do not have to continue with the age-long practice of carrying textbooks.
In another development President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Reverend Isaac Owusu, has expressed skepticism about the ‘one student, one laptop’ policy.
According to him, government’s failure in implementing the ‘one teacher, one laptop’ policy has created doubts about future laptop-related policies.
“The commitment of the government to honour its decision of meeting the provisions of the laptop is a challenge. Now if you look at even the basic school, government is supposed to provide textbooks for new curriculum at the primary, JHS and even including the secondary schools,” he said.
He disclosed that since 2019, the government has not made provision for some essential textbooks for basic schools.
AYM Kukah: E-mail:kukahalexander7@gmail.com