Office of the Auditor General Declares Failure in the School Laptop Programme

A report by the Office of the Auditor General has found that the Ministry of Education School Laptop Programme did not achieve the benefits under the ICT policy.

According to the findings of the report it was unsuccessful, mainly as a result of the fact that the majority of the laptops were faulty or defective; Wi-Fi bandwidth provided by LIME was insufficient for the entire school body; and the students’ blatant misuse of Wi-Fi access. 

The Office of the Auditor General therefore recommend that the Ministry of education needs to properly conclude the Agreement for Supply of Equipment and Services with Flow, if the School Laptop Programme is no longer operational; and any monies that Flow collected and have accumulated in their finances, are to be accounted for and recouped by the ministry.

The OAG also recommends that the ministry of Education recover any surplus laptops from Phases I, II, & III that are defunct and/or inoperative, and still are in Flow’s possession.

It also directed that the ministry of finance be duly informed so that they can be disposed of, as per Government of Montserrat’s Stores Rules and Regulations.

The Post-Implementation Benefits Audit Report of the Auditor General on the Ministry of Education School Laptop Programme was presented to the Legislative Assembly on 29th January, 2019.  

The former Government, via the Ministry of Education, was keen to create a modern teaching and learning environment at local educational institutions. 

Access to ICT services is essential as it has the potential to provide a platform from which more educational resources can be accessed and shared. 

Hence, the School Laptop Programme began in 2012 as a part of the National ICT Strategy as a policy decision by the GoM.   

The purpose of this report was to validate whether the government’s Strategic Thrust of Enhancing the education experience and its effectiveness through formal and informal channels, that is the School Laptop Program, was fulfilled. 

The audit was conducted in accordance with the International Standards for Supreme Audit Institutions and other internationally accepted IT related standards and guidelines. 

The report in its entirety can be found at the Montserrat Public Library, by requesting an electronic copy from the Office of the Auditor General or visiting https://oag.gov.ms.