Afenyo-Markin distributes laptops to Effutu teachers and pledges continuous support for education

Hundreds of teachers in the Effutu Constituency reived 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 MP said the distribution was driven by requests from teachers themselves and not by political season.

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 stated. 

The MP paid glowing tribute to teachers, noting the heavy moral weight of the profession compared to its material rewards. 

The Effutu legislator cited that teachers who bought books with their own salaries, stayed after the closing bell, and chose to serve Effutu children over better-paying jobs elsewhere.

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.

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