By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Winneba, Aug. 5, GNA – Hundreds of teachers in the Effutu Constituency received a major boost to their work on Tuesday as Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Effutu, presented 79 laptops as part of the One Teacher One Laptop initiative.
He described the gesture as “not charity, but an investment in the very people who invest in children.”
Addressing teachers, education officials, and community leaders at an event in the Constituency, the Member of Parliament (MP) said the distribution was driven by requests from teachers themselves and not by political season.
He argued that teaching in 2026 could no longer be done with chalk and a register alone. With Ghana Education Service (GES) scores now uploaded online, lesson plans accessed through digital portals, and parents expecting instant communication, a teacher without a laptop is “like a soldier sent to the frontline without a rifle.”
Mr Afenyo-Markin, also the Minority Leader, revealed that in 2022, 2,015 laptops were distributed in the Constituency.
“The latest batch targets teachers posted from 2023 to date, ensuring no new teacher is left behind in the digital transition,” he said.
The MP paid glowing tribute to teachers, noting the heavy moral weight of the profession compared to its material rewards.
“There is no profession that carries heavier moral weight and receives a comparatively lighter material reward than teaching,” he said.
“History will judge you kindly even where today’s economy has not,” he added.
The Effutu legislator cited teachers who bought books with their own salaries, stayed after the closing bell, and chose to serve Effutu children over better-paying jobs elsewhere.
According to the MP, Effutu was the home of education, situating the initiative within Effutu’s legacy.
Mr Afenyo-Markin reminded the gathering that Winneba was home to the University of Education, Winneba; Winneba Senior High School (SHS); St. Paul’s and Muslim SHS, saying, “Effutu does not just consume education. Effutu produces educators for the nation. Today we are not starting a legacy. We are continuing it.”
He promised that the laptop initiative would continue “for as long as I have the privilege to serve this constituency.”
The MP also responded to the Municipal Director of Education’s appeal about a leaking office roof and worn furniture and pledged that a contractor would be assigned immediately, saying, “We can no longer ask our education leaders to be water forecasters with buckets,” he said.
“Our children need more than certificates. They need character. They do not just need classrooms. They need classrooms that work,” he said.
Teachers who received the laptops, including Madam Agens Shey, Headmistress, Ayiribi Yankson, M/A Basic School, expressed gratitude and promised to “make good use of it” for lesson planning, record keeping, and research.
Mr Isaac Benyin, an official with the Ghana Education Service, Effutu Municipal Education Directorate, Winneba, who was also a beneficiary, thanked the MP and pledged that the laptops would be used for its intended purpose to promote holistic education in the Constituency.
In all, 100 laptops were intended to be presented, and the remaining 21 are expected to be distributed when school resumes.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
[email protected]