Two Teacher Unions thus; Innovative Teachers and All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG) have given shocking revelations on “One Teacher One Laptop Contract.”
The Unions have critically and carefully interrogated some key state institutions in Ghana over the government’s “One Teacher One Laptop” initiative and found certain intriguing rots between the proposers/initiators of the contract and the manufacturer (KA Technologies Ghana Limited).
According to the TRADE UNIONS, INNOVATIVE TEACHERS and All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG), having continuously monitored the narrative about one teacher one laptop initiative and enquires made at relevant state institutions hereby state as follows:
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1. INNOVATIVE TEACHERS and All Teachers Alliance Ghana agree that teachers must be given laptops by the government as part of government responsibility in accordance with Section 9(a) of the Labour Law (Act 651).
2. The distribution of quality laptops to teachers ought to have started in 2007 when President John Kufour introduced I.C.T as a subject.
3. The poor I.C.T education teachers received with no practical skills before they were employed is the most cogent reason why teachers must be given quality laptops of brands that have been tried and tested.
4. COVID-19 as the reason espoused by GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT for teachers to be given laptops is preposterous and untenable.
5. We are vehemently opposed to the 30% and the 70% cost sharing idea of paying for the laptop because it is the responsibility of the employer to provide the tools needed by teachers to work.
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6. There is an obvious contradiction between the number of laptops to be distributed. The President quoted 280,000 laptops and the Vice-President quoted 350,000 laptops. How can one contract have different figures?
7. The price of the laptops keeps changing like a chameleon. With reference to GES Press Release dated 9th September, 2021 the price of the laptop was 1,831 cedis and its 30% was 549 cedis. GES letter dated 26th October quoted 509 cedis as price for the 30% component. What was the actual amount negotiated before K.A TECHNOLOGIES started executing the contract?
8. Teachers prefer Dell, Lenovo, Apple, Toshiba, Acer, Samsung and the other known brands just like Parliamentarians love TOYOTA V8 cars because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
9. Teachers feel insulted that the Ministry of Education does not think highly of same that is why it preferred a local ‘company’ with no track record in manufacturing laptops for the second time after the RLG debacle.
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10. The defunct RLG distributed laptops to selected schools and teachers in Ghana. Since the laptops were substandard almost all of them broke down within a short time.
11. One would have thought that Ministry of Education ought to have learnt
lessons from the RLG fiasco and not repeat same with K.A. TECHNOLOGIES GHANA LIMITED.
12. It has become obvious that the Ministry of Education will continuously insult teachers with laptops of suspicious quality which break down within a short time resulting in a huge financial loss to the state.
13. The office of the Vice-President and the person of the Vice-President have been brought into disrepute when he launched and distributed uncertified TM1 laptops.
14. The distribution of 71 uncertified laptops to teachers of ST. Mary’s Senior High school by the Vice-President during the launch of ‘one teacher one laptop’ initiative has undermined the effort of GHANA STANDARDS AUTHORITY in clapping down on the activities of persons who sell fake products.
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15. K.A TECHNOLOGIES GHANA LIMITED does not have any track record in manufacturing laptops in Ghana.
16. All the social media handles and website of the ‘company’ were all created in 2021 and the company does not have a landline.
17. On 4th November, 2020 K.A TECHNOLOGIES GHANA LIMITED was registered at the Public Procurement Authority.
18. In November 2020 K. A TECHNOLOGIES GHANA LIMITED was registered by SSNIT.
19. We wrote to the REGISTRAR GENERAL and requested for the names of the Directors and Secretary of K.A TECHNOLOGIES.
20. The REGISTRAR GENERAL indicated that after a search K.A TECHNOLOGIES was not found in the database of the REGISTRAR GENERAL’S DEPARTMENT.
21. One cannot fathom but wonder why a company that does not exist in the database of REGISTRAR GENERAL DEPARTMENT was awarded this contract by the Ministry of Education.
22. We wrote to GHANA STANDARDS AUTHORITY and asked whether the GHANA STANDARDS AUTHORITY has certified the TM1 laptops being distributed.
23. The GHANA STANDARDS AUTHORITY responded by saying that K.A TECHNOLOGIES GHANA LIMITED has not applied to GHANA STANDARD AUTHORITY for certification or quality evaluation of its laptops.
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24. The laptops from K.A TECHNOLOGIES that were distributed to some teachers not long ago have started breaking down.
25. How did K.A TECHNOLOGY get this contract to manufacture 280,000 laptops or 350,000 laptops at a time when its laptop has not been certified by Ghana Standards Authority?
26. The Ministry of Education has supervised the distribution of uncertified laptops to teachers contrary to the laws of Ghana.
27. At a time when there is shortage of processors for computers in the world as a result of electric cars and game computers where did this company get the processors in the laptops it has manufactured?
28. Where will K.A TECHNOLOGIES get processors to manufacture the outstanding laptops given that processors are scarce on the market.
29. How did a company with no track record in manufacturing and selling laptops consistently paid taxes that qualified same to be granted tax clearance certificate from GRA to get this contract.
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30. What criteria qualified K.A TECHNOLOGIES GHANA LIMITED that made SSNIT to grant the company the certificate to be awarded this contract?
31. Did the Public Procurement Authority grant the Ministry of Education the permission to award this contract given that this company was not manufacturing laptops prior to the award of this contract?
32. Hon. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin was capable of sharing quality HP quality laptops to all the teachers in his constituency but Ghana has gained notoriety for sharing laptops of suspicious quality.
33. Despite the legal obligation imposed on the Ministry of Education to publish the contract on the website of Public Procurement Authority the Ministry has refused to do so.
34. After making enquires about K.A TECHNOLOGIES from relevant state institutions, INNOVATIVE TEACHERS and All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG) filed a writ of summons and a motion for Interlocutory injunction on 10th November, 2021 at the Accra High Court questioning the legal capacity of K.A TECHNOLOGIES GHANA LIMITED to enter into contract with the Ministry of Education given the reasons herein.
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35. Both INNOVATIVE TEACHERS and All Teacher Alliance Ghana are registered TRADE UNIONS.
36. INNOVATIVE TEACHERS and ATAG have more than 10,000 members.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
 have given shocking revelations on "One Teacher One Laptop Contract."The Unions have critically and carefully interrogated some key state institutions in Ghana over the government's "One Teacher One Laptop" initiative and found certain intriguing rots between the proposers/initiators of the contract and the manufacturer (KA Technologies Ghana Limited).){kind=link}