ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) USAGE BY EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OSUN STATE

Abstract

This article investigates the assessment of information communication, and technology (ICT) by school administrators in public senior secondary schools in Osun State, specifically focusing on Ife/Ijesa Education District. A descriptive survey approach was employed for this study, which included a population of 32 public secondary schools and 32 principals within the Ife/Ijesa education area. The sample consisted of 10 public secondary schools and 10 administrators purposefully selected for the study.  Data was primarily collected using a self-structured questionnaire titled “Information and Communication Technology Competences Questionnaire” (ICATCQ).  Face and content validity assessment was conducted to ensure the instrument’s internal consistency. The test-rest reliability of the instrument was evaluated in 10 public secondary schools outside the sample area over a two-week interval resulting in a reliability co-efficient of 0.89, which is sufficiently high to confirm the instruments’ reliability. Descriptive statistics including frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze the data. The study found that the use of ICT in schools is mainly delegated to school secretaries and Heads of Department, with very few ICT resources mobilized by the principals. This has led to a lack of essential equipment, such as computers, internet services, scanners, and photocopiers in most schools, hindering effective ICT integration. The study recommends that principals of public secondary schools engage more actively with ICT resources to better understand the challenges and benefits associated with their use, ultimately promoting effective ICT integration in school administration.