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Long Live One Teacher One Laptop

By Kwabena Opoku
Opinion Long Live One Teacher One Laptop
DEC 4, 2021 LISTEN

It is sad to experience that teachers are not given their deserved treatments, especially in this part of the world. It would disturb anyone to know that anytime it is the turn of teachers to get a benefit, we are all always besieged by some 'friendly' and unfriendly foes who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their hidden but ultimate intention is to downgrade certain necessities, only to go behind to exploit the situation for their own selfish gains. How long will this continue? This time, we say NO MORE!

Laptops is fast becoming a necessity in educational systems across the world rather than a privilege. Even students are encouraged where possible to have access to at least to a computer. For example, I need a laptop to optimize my work, save time and improve myself. Teaching is my profession and I want to improve so I can deliver more to my students. This is my chosen passion, this is my life.

When I got to know that Teachers Mate 1 (TM1) Laptop was specially designed to provide access to applications and locally relevant resources for education, I was super impressed. I kept wondering why some groups of individuals will chose to oppose this great initiative put together by all of our major associations for teachers and the Government of Ghana.

Do not tell me that their opposition to the "One Teacher One Laptop Project" is based on the experience from previous laptop distribution initiative poorly implemented in the past. Do we will stop eating food because we once choked? Do will stop walking because we once stumbled? If the answer is No, then why would we deny hard working teachers of the opportunity of getting a laptop to better themselves, our students and children because of our past?

My experience so far clearly shows that the present Government had learnt from the past. This is evident from the system and approach adopted for the distribution as well as the bundled package that TM1 delivers. I have tasted and I know. I have experience TM1 and I am satisfied with the value it gives me as a teacher and as an aspiring individual. Are these people opposing this project because TM1 is assembled locally by Ghanaians? Are they angry that the project is offering jobs and skills to Ghanaians? Will they have been placated if the jobs were created outside of Ghana? Are they really fighting for our interest as teachers or they have other underlying and undisclosed interest?

What could be driving a purported teacher to fight digital transformation of the public educational system in the light of our experience during the lock downs due to Covid-19? Could it be that they only stand as group leaders of a few teachers but they do not have children in public school? Could it be sheer naivety or parochialism?

They keep changing their narratives. At first instance, the laptop was not good but it changed when some of us saw that the TM1 laptop is great. We are enjoying it, and it even has two years warranty to further cushion our enjoyment.

One of the major capacities that differentiates human beings and animals is our capacity to improve how we do things. Our grandfathers rode on horses or donkeys to move from one place to the another. Our fathers rode bicycles and fossil energy fueled vehicles; but now we are talking about clean energy powered vehicles because we, as humans, learned from our past. We refuse to stay behind and lockdown to old ways of teaching or working. We as teachers chose to transform. And we will not allow anybody or group do to this project what they do best - which is to bring it down without any alternative. They take your meal saying it is not balance diet but will leave you with no food while they feed fat in the secret.

Wise up, my fellow teachers! Long Live One Teacher One Laptop!

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