'We Should Think More About It' – Prof Kofi Agyekum Tells Bawumia Over Plan To Replace Textbooks With Laptops

Government's decision to replace textbooks with laptops has received some pushback with some Civil Society Organisations describing it as "ill-informed".

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia speaking at an event in the Volta Region said with this initiative, textbooks and other teaching and learning materials would be installed on the laptops to be used during lessons.

“If this country must move forward in the right direction, we must invest in education which is the only platform for preparing nation builders for tomorrow. The Minister for Education has also assured me that this year, we’ll start the replacement textbooks with laptops that have textbooks embedded in Senior high Schools,” he stated.

According to him, the initiative will be implemented before the end of 2023.

However, some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have opposed this initiative saying, "it's an ill-informed decision that must be shelved immediately".

“Plans to procure 1.3 million laptops for SHS students are ill-informed, and not backed by any feasibility study, nor informed by education objectives . . . it contradicts international best practice in the use of laptops in schools. Plans to procure 1.3 million laptops for SHS students do not represent efficient and prioritized use of public funds in the face of staggering evidence of textbook and desk deficits in basic schools," they've indicated.

Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly known as Opanyin Agyekum adding his voice to this during a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Thursday questioned how laptops can replace textbooks, especially for some 'small' schools.

"We should think more about it; any policy that will take away physical library should be well thought through. It'll be better if it's going to be supplementary, and even that we should also think about the small schools in the villages..." he said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com