The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has plans to dish out tablet devices to students at the secondary level in a pilot programme aimed at helping to boost their competences in core subjects, according to President John Mahama.
Speaking at the State Banquet Hall on Wednesday to highlight sections of the NDC manifesto as a precursor to the main launch this weekend in Sunyani, the promise of the tablets was one of the many pledges the President made should Ghanaians grant him a second term.
He said, “Students will receive tablets that have all their core subjects on the tablet. If the pilot is successful, the programme shall be expanded.”
This pilot programme will form part of his government’s planned focus on core subjects given the poor results the secondary education sector witnesses in the major external exams.
President Mahama noted that, “if you look at the results of the BECE and WASSCE, and you look at qualification from A1 to C6, you will find that the results are abysmal because most of the students fail in English, Mathematics and Science.”
To further boost the students’ grounding in the core subjects, an NDC government will “employ more teachers in these areas and give them the incentives to be able to teach our children,” the President added.
Government’s programme in the past to offer teachers laptops is currently not effective, as some teachers who were trained several months ago, are yet to receive their laptops under the programme with RLG Communications.
This was a promise in their 2012 manifesto, which was also to give laptops to students to improve maths and science education.
TVET to attract strong attention from government
President Mahama also announced a renewed emphasis on technical education saying the focus of his government’s educational policy would be on “technical and vocational education training. So in the next of four years, there is going to be emphasis on TVET [Technical and Vocational Education and Training].”
He explained that the need for a this direction in his presentation saying, “if you want to put money into the pockets of people, you need to give them skills for which the can find the jobs to be able earn an income. If they don’t have they don’t have the skills, you cannot go around and put money into their pocket.”
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana