Why is the Laptop not Coming? Manufacturing and Distribution of the one Teacher one laptop is unlawful.-Teacher Unions.
INNOVATIVE TEACHERS AND ALL TEACHERS ALLIANCE GHANA – ATAG
Has raised concerns about the one teacher, one Laptop initiative in a press briefing sited by seekersnewsgh.com.
According to the teacher unions, they see the one teacher one laptop initiative as Government siphoning teachers’ responsibility allowance to defray 30% of the total cost of the laptops as completely a sham and a stab in the back of innocent teachers.
Manufacturing and distribution of the one teacher one laptop as unlawful
According to the Two Teacher Unions, in some months back raised these concerns,
(a) That TM1 laptops procurement was not giving any form of competitive bidding.
(b) That the company, K. A Technologies Ghana Ltd cannot be company for the production of these laptops because it lacks any form of production history of laptops.
(c) That Government siphoning teachers’ responsibility allowance to defray 30% of the total cost of the laptops is completely a sham and a stab in the back of innocent teachers.
(d) That giving the huge numbers involved, the production cost of the laptops could have been cheaper and be giving to teachers for free without any form of cost sharing.
(e) That the decision by the other unions to accept the specks of the laptop raises serious doubt of quality, durability and the maintenance.
ATAG and Innovative teachers took a further step and lay the matter on the tables of CHRAJ to institute an investigation into the matter and to ascertain why in procuring laptops certain important state principles and other protocols were seriously breached.
According to the Two teacher Unions, they made a small investigation about the K.A Tech. Company at the Public Procurement Authority, Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and Ghana Standard Authority.
The following were realized.
KA Technology Ghana Ltd was recently registered at public procurement authority in November, 2020 and obtained tax clearance certificate unlawfully.
KA Technology Ghana Ltd did not meet the mandatory eligibility criteria as set forth in section (IIIC) of the procurement of information technology products, a document issued by the Public Procurement Authority in the year 2019.
SSNIT Certificate,
Tax clearance certificate
Registration at PPA were hurriedly fast-tracked by the company to have semblance of legitimacy to get the contract.
Another further search at the Registrar General Department clearly shows that KA Technology Ghana Ltd does not exist in the company list of Registrar General’s Department.
KA Technologies Ghana Ltd does not have any records of producing laptops and that’s a clear breach of the procurement act.
Also, the company had not obtained any form of certification from the Ghana standard authority in the production of the laptops to meet certain specifications and requirements and also has failed to submit it laptops to the Ghana Standard Authority for certification and evaluation and as result K. A Technologies TM1 Laptops are not satisfied to be sold in Ghana.
It is obvious that certain things had not been done right and this confirms our earlier suspicion that many things had been done wrongly in the procurement process.
Ladies and Gentlemen what you must know is that K.A Technologies Ghana Ltd cannot supply laptops off the shelves because they are manufacturing entity and this alone cross path with the procurement act.
We are quite astonished why the Ministry of Education could move in such a tangent to offer this entire important contract to a company that has not been registered at the Registrar General’s Department and even certified by the Ghana standards authority.
‘We challenge the ministry to post a copy of the contract at their website’ Innovative Teachers and ATAG
As it stands everything is pointing to the clear picture that the company lacks the legal capacity in producing these laptops. This has become evidence as the distribution of the laptops has stalled across the regions as many teachers are yet to receive the said laptops. It’s obvious that the company is incapacitated and cannot or would not be able to meet the production threshold. This could affirm the alarm we have raised over the durability and quality and the reliability of the laptops.
”Ladies and Gentlemen we would want to use this forum to inform you that the award of the manufacturing and distribution of the one teacher one laptop is unlawful and as result we have filed an interlocutory injunction pursuant to order 25 rule 1(1) of C. I. 47 restraining the illegal distribution, manufacturing of uncertified laptops and deduction of the 2021 professional development allowance of teachers.” ATAG and Innovative Teachers.
What does GNAT, NAGRAT AND CCT have to say
When the media approached these three Teacher unions, they claim they do not recognize the said Teacher unions and their court proceedings.
Some even went ahead to claim the laptop is of the best quality for teachers.
KA Technologies have also claimed their laptops are of the best qualities and are currently doing give away on their official Facebook page.
Some people also alleged on social media the Laptops are using phone Batteries, KA Technologies claim it is false but would not give details of their laptops.
Teachers are bitter because even after deduction, the laptops are still not given to them.
source: All Teachers Alliance Ghana/ Innovative Teachers.
