Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has walked out on the Deputy Education Minister Prof. Kingsley Nyarko during their annual national council meeting in Kumasi.
The protest was sparked by the government’s failure to deliver on its 2021 promise to provide a laptop to each teacher, despite deducting 30% from teachers’ salaries to fund the “One Teacher, One Laptop” initiative.
Over 50,000 teachers across the country are still without the laptops they paid for, leading to chants of “Away! Away! No laptop, no council meeting!” and the disruption of the meeting’s opening ceremony.
The teachers are demanding immediate action from the government to fulfill its promise, emphasizing that the lack of laptops is hindering teaching and learning, particularly in remote areas.
The national curriculum has been uploaded onto these laptops, making them essential tools for educators. Local GNAT leaders, such as District Chairperson Sarfo Sarpong and Evans Temetey, highlighted the ongoing frustration and embarrassment faced by teachers, with some even experiencing near-attacks from their colleagues.
The GNAT has issued a one-week ultimatum to the government to begin distributing the outstanding laptops, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
