Laptops for Students: Signs of Leader's Solutions Deficiency

From a struggling Free SHS and under-financed basic school to “wishful thinking” one-SHS-student-one laptop, are we really looking back at the lines we have drawn in the past and how crooked they are in the area of education (Free calculators, laptops, school feeding programme, Free SHS and the rest?).

This write-up raises concerns about the lack of realistic solutions in leadership, particularly in the context of education. It questions the feasibility and practicality of initiatives such as providing laptops to every SHS student and highlights the scarcity of resources and pressing challenges that need attention. The signs of a leader being deficient in realistic solutions include a lack of practicality, ignoring facts and data, inability to execute plans, overpromising and underdelivering, resistance to feedback, and a lack of collaboration with stakeholders. These signs indicate a leader’s unrealistic approach and their inability to effectively address problems.

Leadership and the decisions they make in the face of scarce resources are very critical. Again, such decisions must be realistic, notwithstanding the fact that transformational leaders envisage bigger visions that may look and sound unrealistic.

Do we have a basic scale of preference as a nation, or we are developing this nation’s education system via the whims and caprices of those in authority anyhow any time?

When one juxtaposes the current economic struggles Ghana is pregnant with which is a result of false start economic choices described by many as economic mismanagement under the leadership of Nana Addo and Bawumia, one would have thought that, leadership at the national level will be more disciplined in thoughts and imaginations of the future.

With our Free SHS struggling and the government underfinancing basic school development, coupled with the current IMF bailout, one would have thought that, our leaders will be prudent in thought and decisions when it comes to issues such as the One SHS student, one laptop chorus that politically skewed supporters of the ruling party are supporting and defending openly without examining it critically.

As we speak, rules in secondary schools forbid students from using laptops, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets in school. How are we going to incorporate these free laptops for each student into the rules that schools have refused to alter?

There are SHSs that do not have dormitories and dining halls or assembly halls yet, we want to finance laptops for at least 1 million students in public senior high schools. Is this not a misuse of scarce resources?

Should the government supply these electricity-powered laptops, will there be enough space for charging these laptops once they run low on battery? Have we thought of how students struggle to iron their clothes in school and the power students will be using to power their laptops each time their batteries run down?

Digitalization of education is prudent, however, we must be rationally prudent in making promises. Instead, of providing students with laptops, we will save this nation a lot of resources by using the resources to finance the development of our basic schools. Again, the government should instead provide e-libraries stocked with books instead of providing laptops to students. The e-library will provide students access to these books in the schools’ e-libraries stocked with computers for them to access.

It is hoped that the pronouncement by the vice president is not an attempt to buy SHS students into voting for the ruling party in the 2024 general elections.

What are the signs to prove that a leader is realistic or solutions deficient?

Struggling Free SHS to Wishful Thinking Laptops for Students And The Signs of Leader’s Solutions Deficiency Are Now Discussed Here.

From the leadership perspective, we can easily detect leaders who are deficient in providing realistic solutions to the problems that confront the people they rule.

The following are some of the top 5 signs that your leader is solution deficient in dealing with problems.

Lack of Practicality:

It is not uncommon for a leader who is not cut out for results to provide impractical or unattainable solutions to problems. The question the Vice President must answer is what problem is the one-SHS-student-one-laptop coming to solve?

Is this feasible, and do we have the resources to provide laptops to over 1 million Senior High School students in school now?

The failure of the leader to realize the absence of resources and the prevalence of other pressing challenges which need to be solved negates whatever good intentions he or she has for proposing such a policy.

Leaders may have super grand visions or be pregnant with crazy ideas, but if they cannot develop a practical set of plans and do the critical financing mathematical calculations vis-à-vis the need to meet other more important needs, then the nation or organization is in trouble. The lack of practicality of ideas is a sign that a leader is unrealistic or solutions deficient.

Ignoring Facts and Data:

It is dangerous for leaders to throw away the facts and data needed for decision managing to the dogs and make promises out of impulsive excitement and adrenaline.

Vice President Bawumia always loves to showcase data and use it for decision-making.

However, in this instance, it looks as though he has downplayed or disregarded the most factual information and chosen to speak of his personal options for improving education at the SHS. Come to think of it, there are at least 1 million students in public SHSs nationwide.

Africa Education Watch has estimated the cost of these laptops to be not less than 1.3 billion dollars.

As a country saddled with an IMF bailout, uncompleted national projects, suffering basic school with fewer resources, inadequate accommodation in SHSs, domestic and foreign debt exchange challenges, lack of resources to pay out debts, and the fear that China will take over our mineral resources and revenues from ECG should we default, why should be driven to spend so much on an impulse driven policy like the one student, one laptop?

The Vice president and all those going around defending this as a possibility may not be far from right, but they must take note that ignoring evidence-based decision-making can lead to ineffective strategies and policies.

The ignoring of facts and data is another sign that a leader is unrealistic or solutions deficient.

Inability to Execute Plans:

“Agro be sor a, afri anopa” is saying we are all preview to as Ghanaians.

Leaders who have over the years failed to successfully implement proposed solutions or have suffered setbacks in the implementation of the suggestions and ideas they birthed in the past can be said to lack realistic problem-solving skills.

We need leaders who are able to navigate complex issues with ease using practical solutions.

The big question is do we have insufficient books in our schools?

How much will it cost to provide these books? Can we compare the cost with the laptops?

What of the other challenges that come with stocking laptops with books, such as the need to power these laptops?

Are we ready to supply enough sockets, for instance in schools and in all classrooms, for students to use these laptops?

Indeed, there are more questions than answers on the one student one laptop policy the NPP government is cooking.

They better cook this well because it does not make practical sense in the face of the country’s damming challenges today.

Once a leader is unable to execute plans to achieve targets, that a leader is unrealistic or solutions deficient.

Overpromising and Under delivering:

It is very worrying when leaders continue to promise heaven on earth every minute yet forget that, the people are discerning and will ask questions. Why continue to make unrealistic promises or set unattainable goals without a clear plan of action, may be deficient in realistic solutions.

Is this policy seeking to achieve a short-term gain instead of the long-term implications, its effectiveness, and practicability? The Vice President needs to be extra careful in making such promises since they can lead to a loss of credibility.

A leader is unrealistic or solutions-deficient if he or she overpromises and under delivers.

Resistance to Feedback:

Feedback always completes the communication loop and leaders need to be looking at the feedback and its content because they tell you what the people feel about your intentions. If you fail to listen to them, you will fail to achieve your target very often, unless you are a transformational leader with a special gift with proven records of success in all your out-of-this-world ideas promised and executed. Being a transformational leader in itself comes with its own obstacles that need to be dealt with, for success is not cast in stones.

Leaders unwilling to listen to their followers for feedback, constructive criticism, and or alternative perspectives will often struggle to develop realistic solutions. Knowledge is not the preserve of one or a few people if not; they alone will have heads sitting on their necks. A deficiency in receiving, filtering, and assessing viable feedback can hinder the ability to adapt and adjust ideas, visions, and approaches based on changing circumstances or new information.

You are a leader worth being described as unrealistic or solutions deficient if you fail to take feedback into consideration in the choices you make.

Lack of Collaboration:

You cannot think it all, you cannot do it all, you cannot plan it all. It is important that leaders get closer to stakeholders, people with divergent opinions on the issue, and experts in the field to put the leader’s ideas to a litmus test.

This will bring on board several “ifs” for the leader to filter through to refine his or her ideas.

The one-student-one-laptop idea was like a thunder strike to teacher unions, CSOs, and other stakeholders who knew nothing about it and had not made any input into it.

It saddens my heart that very often, people in politics defend their bosses as though they have stopped thinking on their own and cannot tell their bosses in the face that … “As for this” It is wrong.

Effective problem-solving often requires input from a variety of sources and a willingness to collaborate with others.

It’s important to note that these signs should be assessed in the context of a leader’s overall performance, and one isolated indicator may not necessarily indicate a complete deficiency in realistic solutions.

READ: 7 Most Corrupt Political Leaders In History, Number 5 Will Make You Laugh

If you fail to collaborate with stakeholders as a leader in your quest to implement new ideas, your ideas will not only be shot down, the feedback will punch holes in the ideas because you failed to consult others and that will prove your ideas lack practicality are unrealistic or and your suggested solutions will be deemed deficient.

READ: Free SHS: Listen to IMF, give our future leaders quality education – Minority to government

This write-up has questioned the feasibility and practicality of providing laptops to every Senior High School (SHS) student in Ghana. It has criticized the government for underfunding basic school development and struggling with the Free SHS program while proposing to allocate resources for laptops. It has shown that it would be more prudent to invest in the development of basic schools and provide e-libraries stocked with books. Signs of a leader being unrealistic or solutions deficient are highlighted, including lack of practicality, ignoring facts and data, inability to execute plans, overpromising and under-delivering, resistance to feedback, and lack of collaboration.

Source: Wisdom Hammond | Leadership expert and freelancer