Access To And Use Of Ict Infrastructure In Teaching And Learning: A Comparative Study Of Rural And Urban Public Junior High Schools In The Ga South Municipality

Abstract

Ghana is committed to transforming teaching and learning at all levels of education through the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). However, the successful introduction of ICT into basic education depends largely on the availability of ICT infrastructure and the capacity of teachers and students to use them. Using rural and urban public Junior High Schools (JHS) in the Ga South Municipality as a case study, this study investigates the availability and use of ICT infrastructure among students and teachers of rural and urban schools. It was found that access to ICT infrastructure by teachers and students was inadequate. Nonetheless, there were differences in access to ICT infrastructure between students and teachers of rural and urban schools. Students of urban schools had more access to ICT infrastructure and therefore used it for studies than their rural counterparts. Also, the use of ICT infrastructure in the classroom had more positive impacts on the learning motivations of students of urban schools than those of rural schools. Teachers of urban schools were also more likely to have access to ICT infrastructure than those of rural schools. There was, however, no significant difference between rural and urban teachers in their confidence in the use of ICT infrastructure for teaching. Since ICT infrastructure had positive motivations for teaching and learning activities in basic schools, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education provides all basic schools across the country with ICT infrastructure. Also, efforts should be made to build the capacity of all teachers in order to facilitate the efficient introduction of ICT in education. The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC) should be given enough funds to carry out its mandate of ensuring universal access to ICT by unserved and underserved communities in Ghana.