Former President John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has condemned the government's allocation of funds to provide free tablets to senior high school students, labelling it as a ploy to secure votes.
Speaking during a special public lecture at the Wisconsin International University College, Ghana, Mahama voiced his concerns over the government's decision, highlighting the neglect of crucial ongoing educational projects due to the emphasis on distributing tablets.
Mahama emphasized the need to prioritize the allocation of state resources to address more urgent needs within the education sector, particularly the lack of textbooks in basic schools over the past four years.
He stated, “You bring a new curriculum, the children have no textbooks in basic school for the last four years and you think that giving pre-tertiary students tablets is more important. Of course, everybody knows the political expediency.”
Mahama suggested that the timing of the initiative, coinciding with voter registration for pre-tertiary students who will be eligible to vote in the upcoming elections, indicates a deliberate attempt to sway their votes. He characterized the distribution of tablets as a strategy to entice students to support the current government.
Furthermore, Mahama questioned the allocation of GH¢1.3 billion for providing laptops to pre-tertiary students, arguing that other critical areas in the educational system are in dire need of funding.
In Mahama's view, the free tablet initiative represents a form of inducement rather than a genuine effort to address educational challenges, accusing the government of using it as a means to secure electoral support.