As the brouhaha of procurement of laptop computers for public schools teachers is yet to die down, the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has been caught in the procurement of another 80,000 computers.
Without ensuring the teachers receive the backlog of the computers, the ministers clandestinely negotiated with K.A. Technologies Ghana Limited to supply the 80,000 laptop computers at the cost of some GHC124million.
The whole exercise, according to sources within the Teacher Unions is a smack of disrespect for the teachers who are demanding that K. A. Technologies supplies them with the first consignment.
What is strange is that the Ministry of Education would not address the concerns of teachers but went ahead to order for more computers at the time the teachers were agitating.
A letter dated December 13, 2021, signed by the Minister of Education addressed to K.A. Technologies, said that the 80,000 laptop computers were to be delivered to the Regional Education Depots within Ten (10) weeks from the date of contract signing, in accordance with the specification in the agreed proposal.
It is not clear when the contract was signed and between which parties.
The procurement of laptop computers for public schools teachers became topical not too long ago after some teachers raised issues bothering on deductions from their salaries and how they had not received the computers.
Sections of the teachers are blaming their unions for not offering them a good deal as far as the laptops were concerned.
The Teacher Unions made up of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) have said that the deal to secure the laptops for teachers was squeaky clean.