Student laptops worth P61 million lost across the country
At least 30 in a hundred laptops that the ministry bought for schools have been lost, Assistant Minister of Education, Aubrey Lesaso has said.
Government took a decision to buy laptops for students and teachers to digitalise education and in 2022, more than 45 000 gadgets had already been distributed in most Senior Secondary Schools.
In March this year, the ministry told The Midweek Sun that a total 57 006 laptops, 4 845 for teachers and 52 161 for students had been delivered to Senior Secondary Schools nationwide.
The total cost of the gadgets is a whooping P205,486,744.67, but already, the ministry has lost over P61 million worth of laptops.
Expectation was that all Form 4 and Form 5 learners would have laptops in 2024 but the ministry has since realised that not all 2023 Form 5 learners have thus far returned laptops loaned to them, resulting in a shortage that is affecting some schools.
Lesaso says most Batswana have a tendency of always taking from government and not returning, he advises against this bad behaviour which has now trickled down to youngsters.
He urges parents to teach their children that all school resources loaned to them need to be returned to school upon completion of studies to ensure that other students can use them.
The situation is worsened by the fact that learners take these gadgets home to continue with individualised learning, but some get lost or destroyed in the process.
Lesaso says they have observed with shock how some even go to the extent of selling these loaned laptops on social media, they are busy advertising them when they are clearly marked Ministry of Education.
“Ensuring that the gadgets are secure is a challenge to all stakeholders; learners and their parents are expected to ensure that the laptop is well cared for. A clarion call is also made to the community to exercise community policing and ensure these gadgets are safe," the ministry advises.
The laptops have a tracking capability which allows recovery of devices where the loss is reported in time. If the schools have decided that the device has been stolen or damaged due to negligence, the parent is expected to account in the form of reimbursing the Ministry.
However, if the theft or damage is determined to be beyond the aforementioned, then the Ministry assists with cost recovery. The Ministry of Education says this is a tall order, hence the shortages that are being experienced in schools.