1 teacher 1 laptop initiative: AG, GES, 2 others sued

Two Trade Unions within the Educational Sector, Innovative Teachers, and All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG), have dragged the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Attorney-General, and the Ministry of Education to court over the procurement of laptops for teachers.

The plaintiffs are demanding that the sole-sourced contract awarded to K. A Technologies Ghana Limited, be annulled on grounds that it is contrary to sections 40 a, b, c, d, and e of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).

It was their case “that the 4th Defendant has failed to publish the details of the contract on the website of the Public Procurement Authority, contrary to section 3 c(1 and 2) of the Public Procurement Act in an attempt to hide the transaction from public scrutiny.

Further, “the 1st Defendant lacks the capacity to enter into contractual relations with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants acting for the government of Ghana to manufacture and distribute laptops to all teachers throughout the country,” and that “the 1st Defendant does not meet the Mandatory Eligibility Criteria as set forth in Section III (C) of the procurement of the Information Technology Product document issued by the Public Procurement Authority, Ghana for the year 2019,” the petitioners said.

They accused the government of creating K.A Technologies “only by virtue of the contract for distributing laptops under the initiative by the government, acting through the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendant.”

They are seeking “an order for Interlocutory Injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, successors. Assigns, servicemen, workmen and all persons claiming through them, from awarding or entering into a contract of selling or distributing laptops computers and/or in any way dealing with or interfering with any contract of selling or distributing laptop computers under the one teacher one laptop computer programme pending the final determination of this suit in terms of the accompanying affidavit.”

They are also demanding that any amount paid to the 1st Defendant by the government for manufacturing and distribution of laptops should be refunded.

Per the deal, the government will pay 70% of the cost of GHS1,550 with the teachers’ paying 30% through deductions from their salaries.

The programme, according to the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is aimed at bridging the ICT gap between teachers in urban areas and their colleagues in rural areas.