Availability and Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning · iv Availability and Use of ICT in Teaching...

Connect for Change Education Ghana Alliance (C4C-EGA)

The Secretariat

Connect for Change Education Ghana Alliance

P.O. Box TL 332, Tamale, Ghana

[email protected]

03720 28099 / 0244421532

NOVEMBER, 2014

Availability and Use of ICT in

Teaching and Learning

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Availability and Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning

November, 2014

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge the diverse sources of assistance for this study. First and foremost, I am deeplyindebted Connect for Change Education Ghana Alliance (C4C-EGA) for offering me theopportunity to undertake this study. My thanks and appreciations go to the Regional and DistrictDirectors of Education in the four regions for their kind heartedness and active interest in thestudy.

I also express my gratitude to the Regional and District ICT Coordinators (e.g., Bright Dei,Volta) for creating the awareness of schools as well as providing usual information during thedata collection. Finally, my deepest appreciation to my research assistants (James A. Natia,Gordon Nii-Nai Marley, Salifu Mubarik, Kassim Imoro, Yussif Abdulai, Fabian Dome andEvans Atuick and others) for their excellent role in data collection. Despite your schedules, youfound time to be involved in the data collection process, and I sincerely thank you.

Prof. Seidu Al-hassanICEIR, UDS

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Acronyms

BECE Basic Education and Certificate ExaminationCLY Computer LaboratoryDLA Discovery Learning AllianceESW Educational SoftwareETY ElectricityGIFEC Ghana Investment Fund for ElectronicsGPEG Partnership for Education Grant in GhanaGTR GeneratorJHS Junior High SchoolIAA Internet Assisted AreaIAI Internet Assisted InstructionICTSS ICT Support ServiceICT Information Communication TechnologyICT4AD Ghana ICT for Accelerated DevelopmentINT Access to the internetJHS Junior High SchoolLAN Local Area NetworkLAN Local Area NetworkMA Master of ArtsNGO Non Governmental OrganizationOER Open Educational ResourcesOER Open Educational ResourcesPTA Parent Teacher AssociationSLP Solar PanelSMC School Management CommitteeTAI Television Assisted InstructionTCF Telephone Communication FacilityWST Website

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Executive summary

The Connect4Change Education Ghana Alliance (C4C-EGA), an initiative of Civil Societyorganisations in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service and other stakeholders, hasbeen formed to contribute to improve the quality of education delivery in Ghana. The Alliancecomprises of Savana Signatures, Ibis in Ghana, Producer Enterprises Promotion Centre, Womenand Development Projects, Presbyterian Education Unit and the Ghana Information Network forKnowledge Sharing. The Alliance commissioned a research/study with the aim of determiningthe type of ICT skills and tools that are available to schools in selected regions of Ghana. Thestudy also aimed at knowing the extent to which available ICT skills and tools are used to ensurethe delivery of quality education. The methodology used for the research was participatory andconsultative in nature involving the use of techniques like checklist, in-depth interviews anddiscussions.

Major Conclusions

Half of all teachers at JHS are professional whiles 49.9% of teachers are professional at theprimary showing no significant difference between primary and JHS. The enrolment of pupilshows that girls are more in primary school level (average = 165) than boys (average 92).

The ICT4AD policy has not been adequately implemented. This is because some of the schoolsin the study area do not have ICT tools and equipment and the few schools with ICT tools andequipment complained of inadequacy because the tools do not meet the needs of both staff andpupils to enhance teaching and learning. There are more ICT tools and equipment at the JHSlevel compared to primary school level. This is contrary to our expectation because experiencehas shown that pupils learn better at the tender age than their youthful/adult age. The policy hasnot achieved much in terms of making available computers to schools. There are relatively lowcomputers at the primary school relative to the JHS. In terms of school category, the JHS levelhas more percentage of computers (10%) compared with primary school (4%) for administrativepurposes. The low level of ICT tools for administrative reasons slows down ICT communicationbetween schools and the outside world. Specifically, it affects decision making andimplementation of education related activities at schools and contributes to high ICT illiteracyrate. The key ratios and percentages are summarized below:

1 Figures for both Primary and JHS are calculated based on proportions and not averages.

Total number of computers for Every 100 students in Primary and JHS 2:1Total number of computers for Every 100 students in Primary 1:0.53Total number of computers for Every 100 students in JHS 4:1Total number of computers for every 10 students in Primary and JHS 0.2:1Proportion of computers connected to the internet (Primary and JHS) 9.66%1

Proportion of computers connected to the internet (Primary schools) 1.26%Proportion of computers connected to the internet (JHS) 8.40%Proportion of computers available for pedagogical purpose in Primary and JHS 84.45%

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The proportion of computers available for pedagogical use at JHS is high (67%) compared to18% at the primary school level. However, despite increase availability of ICT tools such ascomputers the ability to use them to teach and research in both primary and JHS and bymale and female teachers is weak. Only about half of the numbers of teachers use computers toaid teaching. The use of computer programmes (skoool, Mavis beacon and Encarta) is higher atthe JHS than the primary school level. This is probably due to the provision of ICT tools andequipment to the JHS level and the provision of capacity building to more JHS teachers.

About 27% schools have ICT policy. Aside government, some CSOs such as Connect 4 Change,World Vision, EDUKANS, IICD, Discovery Learning Alliance (DLA) and multilateralorganizations such as UNICEF have been instrumental in the provision of ICT tools andequipment to schools as well as building the capacity of teachers and pupils. All the efforts orcontributions of these CSOs are geared towards the realisation of the ICT policy. However, thereis still the need for more to be done by way of collaboration in order to reduce high transactioncost and duplication of activities.

The ICT Policy in Education stresses the need for a balance in terms of ICT tools usage inschools. The study found that there is a difference between male and female teachers on the useof ICT to prepare lesson, enrich lessons and deliver lessons. For the use of ICT tools to enrichlessons, there is no significant difference between male and female teachers. For instance, 36percent and 35 percent of male and female teachers respectively use ICT tools to occasionallyenrich lessons. However, for lesson delivery, the use of ICT tools is high among female teachers(11 percent) compared with male teachers (9 percent). There is a difference between male andfemale teachers in the use of ICT tools for teaching. There is still a gap between male and female

Proportion of computers available for pedagogical purpose (Primary schools) 17.91%Proportion of computers available for pedagogical purpose (JHS) 66.54%Proportion of computers available for administrative purpose (primary and JHS) 14.20%Proportion of computers available for administrative purpose (Primary schools) 4.20%Proportion of computer available for administrative purpose (JHS) 10.00%Learner-to- computer ratio in primary and JHS 61:1Learners-to- computer ratio (Primary schools) 189:1Learners-to- computer ratio (JHS) 27:1Teachers-to- computer ratio (Primary and JHS) 2:1Teachers-tocomputers ratio (Primary schools) 1:1Teachers -to- computer ratio (JHS) 1:1Learners to computer ratio (in schools with computer assisted instruction (CAT) -Television assisted instruction for (Primary schools) 100.0%Television assisted instruction for (Primary schools) 100.0%Male Teachers who use ICT tools for teaching 18.08%Female teachers who use ICT for teaching 7.68%Male teachers who use ICT for research 21.78%Female teachers who use ICT for Research 8.03%

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teachers in terms of ICT tools application for teaching and research. There is no significantdifference between male teachers in primary school and JHS use of ICT tools for teaching. Theresults show that about 50% of male teachers in both primary and JHS use ICT tools forteaching. There are more male teachers in the JHS level who use ICT tools such as computersand mobile phone for research than the primary school level male teachers. About 50 percent offemale teachers in primary and JHS level use ICT tools for research.

Interview results show that investment in ICT infrastructure has not been even across the fourregions, and between districts within the same region. Fifty eight percent of all schools haveelectricity. The rest have poor or no power. In terms of distribution of ICT facilities betweenprimary school and JHS, there are more primary schools with generators, solar panel, internetassisted instruction, open educational resource and television assisted instructions. This isbecause most of the primary schools across the four regions have NGOs supporting them with e-readers, 24'' coloured flat screen to aid teaching and learning. However, the JHS have more localarea network, telephone communication facilities, access to the internet, educational softwareand electricity than the primary school level.

The underdeveloped nature of the physical infrastructure together with poor and limitedcommunications infrastructure in the country negatively affect ICT deployment and developmentin many schools. ICT tools such as computers, projectors, etc are woeful inadequate. Similarly,many schools lack computer laboratories for performing ICT training and learning. Many headsand directors complained that they have never laid their hands on the policy document and aretherefore not very conversant with its content. Those who have seen and read the policydocument described it as too general and difficult to be interpreted and implemented. The policydocument lacks specifics in terms of what needs to be done in schools in particular and at theGhana Education Service as a whole.

Recommendations

Ratios of number of ICT tools like computers for pedagogical purposes are woefully inadequateat both Primary and JHS levels. The inadequacy negatively affects the learning of ICT in schoolsbecause many pupils are denied its use for learning. There is therefore the need to work towardsproviding more computers to the schools to enhance teaching and learning.

The understanding of the ICT in Education Policy by key stakeholders like GES Directorate andteachers is low and needs to be strengthened. To achieve this, there is an urgent need to organizestakeholder sensitization meetings and workshops for capacity strengthening for GES Directorateand teachers in various districts. Government and CSOs should be willing to provide the neededresources to implement the policy effectively. Civil Society Organizations should consciouslyadvocate for the effective implementation of the policy. Further, there is the need forcollaboration between the government and CSOs in the implementation process to enhanceaccountability and quality delivery.

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There is the need to facilitate the provision of more copies of the ICT in Education Policyavailable to all schools in the various districts. This should be followed by conscious efforts totrain all teachers at the basic school level on ICT. The training should be tailored towardsdeepening the understanding of key stakeholders on the ICT in Education Policy and themodalities required to implement it. Thus, roles and responsibilities of key educationstakeholders should be highlighted during the training.

The availability of ICT tools such as computers is meaningless unless an enabling environment iscreated for its use. As such, there is the need to facilitate the expansion of physical infrastructureof Ghana, including those of power and transport. Emphasis should be on rural areas where mostschools lack the infrastructural development. More so, there is the need to facilitate thedevelopment, expansion and the modernization of the nation’s communications infrastructure toachieve universal service and access to basic and value-added telecommunications. Alternativepower source e.g., generators, solar panel, etc should be provided in all the schools.

Similarly, there is the need for the provision of internet services to schools. This will enableteachers to do more research to enhance quality teaching as well as enable pupils to access onlinelearning materials. More sensitization programmes should be introduced to educate and exposepeople to the available information sources and learning resources. Learning materials like booksshould be made available on handheld devices for school children, teachers and educationofficers. Each school should have a computer laboratory for effective learning of ICT.

There is the need to strengthen the capacity of teachers at the primary school level to enhancequality teaching and learning. This can be achieved through the provision of more ICT tools suchas computers (and accessories) and mobile phones as well as capacity training workshop forteachers. More capacity building in ICT for teachers and education managers especially forcircuit supervisors (CSs) is needed because they (CSs) do more of the monitoring and reporting.More ICT tools and its accessories support should be given to the schools and teachers. ICT toolsat the regional and district GES directorates should be provided. Providing the inspectoratedivision of the GES in the district with a computer and its accessories to enhance supervision isrecommended. Similarly, there is the need to establish a ICT tools monitoring system to ensureeffective distribution, maintenance and use of ICT tools in schools and at GES Directorate.

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Table of contentAcknowledgements.......................................................................................................................... iAcronyms........................................................................................................................................ iiExecutive summary........................................................................................................................ iiiRecommendations........................................................................................................................... vList of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viiiList of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ixIntroduction..................................................................................................................................... 1The Ghana ICT in Education Policy (November 2008) ................................................................. 1Objectives of the Study/Research ................................................................................................... 4Approach and Methodology ........................................................................................................... 5Ethical considerations ..................................................................................................................... 7Study Plan ....................................................................................................................................... 7Sampling ......................................................................................................................................... 7Research Management arrangements ........................................................................................... 12Research Constraints..................................................................................................................... 12Findings......................................................................................................................................... 12

Background characteristics of schools ...................................................................................... 12Role of civil society organisations and multilateral organizations in ICT tools/equipmentprovision.................................................................................................................................... 17Computers connected to internet and for administrative use .................................................... 19Use of Computer Programmes .................................................................................................. 20Teachers’ confidence level in the use of computer programmes .............................................. 22Source of ICT tools ................................................................................................................... 32Educational software on computer............................................................................................ 33Confidence level of pupils and teachers when using ICT tools ................................................ 42Information, communication technology infrastructure............................................................ 43

Challenges..................................................................................................................................... 46Infrastructure ............................................................................................................................. 46Challenges in acquiring ICT tools............................................................................................. 46Challenges in using ICT tools ................................................................................................... 47Other challenges........................................................................................................................ 47

Conclusions................................................................................................................................... 47Recommendations......................................................................................................................... 49References..................................................................................................................................... 51Annex A: Terms of Reference .......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.Annex B: Key Ratios and Percentages ..........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.Source: Field survey, 2014. ...........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.Annex C: List of interviewees .......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.Annex D: Checklist for key informants .........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.Annex E: Interview Guide for Education Policy Makers ..............Error! Bookmark not defined.

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List of Tables

Table 1: School population for Sampled Districts, Regions and Schools ...................................... 8Table 2: Calculated sample size by Region and School ................................................................. 8Table 3: Sample size by District and School in Volta Region........................................................ 9Table 4: Sample size by District and School in Northern Region .................................................. 9Table 5: Sample size by District and School in Upper East Region............................................. 10Table 6: Sample size by District and School in Upper West Region ........................................... 10Table 7: Type of Data Collected................................................................................................... 10Table 8: Average number of staff and pupils in all regions.......................................................... 13Table 9: School enrolment by region............................................................................................ 14Table 10: Gender distribution of teachers by school category ..................................................... 14Table 11: CSOs and multilateral organizations and the provision of ICT tools, equipment and

capacity building.................................................................................................................... 18Table 12: Use of computers for pedagogical and administrative purposes .................................. 19Table 13: Number of ICT tools in the schools.............................................................................. 30Table 14: Gender and use of ICT for teaching and research activities ......................................... 40

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Does your school have an ICT policy? ......................................................................... 16Figure 2: Can the teachers who have access to computers use it without help?........................... 19Figure 3: Does teachers’ knowledge of computer help them deliver their official duties? .......... 20Figure 4: Use of computer programmes ....................................................................................... 21Figure 5: Performance in ICT programmes by school category................................................... 22Figure 6: Confidence level of teachers in performing basic computing....................................... 23Figure 7: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office word?.............. 25Figure 8: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office power point?... 26Figure 9: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office access?............ 26Figure 10: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office publisher? ..... 27Figure 11: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft excel?...................... 28Figure 12: What is the confidence level of teachers when using internet web browser? ............. 29Figure 13: Availability of ICT tools by school category .............................................................. 32Figure 14: Source of ICT tools ..................................................................................................... 33Figure 15: Educational software on computer by region.............................................................. 34Figure 16: Educational software on computer by school category............................................... 35Figure 17: Describe the frequency in which ICTs are being used to prepare lesson in your

school? ................................................................................................................................... 35Figure 18: Describe the frequency in which ICTs are being used to enrich lesson content? ....... 36Figure 19: Describe the frequency in which ICTs are being used to deliver lesson in your school?

............................................................................................................................................... 37Figure 20: Describe the confidence level of pupils in using ICT? ............................................... 38Figure 21: Describe the confidence level of teachers in using ICT tools? ................................... 38Figure 22: School category and frequency of use of ICT to prepare lessons ............................... 39Figure 23: Frequency of use of ICT tools by gender .................................................................... 41Figure 24: Gender and use of ICT for teaching and research activities........................................ 41Figure 25: Confidence level of pupils and staff when using ICT tools ........................................ 43Figure 26: Information communication technology infrastructure by region .............................. 44Figure 27: Information communication technology infrastructure by school category ............... 45

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IntroductionQuality education delivery has become an important item on the development agenda of Ghana.Yet there are many challenges confronting educational performance in the country. One of thosechallenges is poor access to and use of quality information communication technology (ICT). Itis therefore doubtful whether or not the quality education objective can be achieved unlessefforts are made to fix the ICT problem. The reason is that effective teaching and learningdepends highly on information communication technology (ICT). Information andcommunication technology (ICT) is one of the most important driving forces promotingeconomic growth in the economy. Indeed, the use of ICT in education and training has been akey priority in Ghana in the last decade, although progress has been uneven. There areconsiderably different ICT expenditure levels within and between regions, as well as betweenschools within district and regions. In Ghana, many schools have embedded ICT into theircurriculum and are willing to apply appropriate ICT tools to support teaching and learning acrossa wide range of subject areas. In fact, ICT as a subject is being examined at the BasicExamination Certificate Examination (BECE) level. These moves are largely due to the beliefthat Ghana’s success in the emerging knowledge revolution and technological age will dependon the extent to which it manages to address its development challenges as well as takingadvantage of the rapidly evolving technologies.

Recognising the importance of ICT the Connect4Change Education Ghana Alliance (C4C-EGA),an initiative of Civil Society organisations in collaboration with the Ghana Education Serviceand other stakeholders, has been formed to contribute to improve the quality of educationdelivery in Ghana. The Alliance comprises of Savana Signatures, Ibis in Ghana, ProducerEnterprises Promotion Centre, Women and Development Projects, Presbyterian Education Unitand the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing. The Secretariat of the C4CEducation Ghana Alliance is hosted and coordinated by Savana Signatures. TheConnect4Change Education Ghana Alliance is supported by Connect4Change Netherlands (aconsortium of Dutch NGOs: IICD, Edukans, Cordaid, ICCO, TTC and AKVO).

In order to effectively deliver, the Alliance commissioned a research/study with the aim ofdetermining the type of ICT skills and tools that are available to schools in selected regions ofGhana. The study also aimed at knowing the extent to which available ICT skills and tools areused to ensure the delivery of quality education. The study is important because its results willgive an idea on how far the ICT in education policy has been implemented and the gapsthat exist. Again, the study results will not only serve as a strong basis for advocacy work by theAlliance but also it will shape the strategic focus of the C4C Education Ghana Alliance.

The Ghana ICT in Education Policy (November 2008)

The ICT policy of the government in promoting education in Ghana is embedded in “The GhanaICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy”. The policy is to create an enablingenvironment for achieving the vision of transforming the country in the Information Technologyage. The policy statement stresses the need for the realization of the vision to transform Ghana

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into an information-rich knowledgeable-based society and economy through the development,deployment and exploitation of ICTs within the economy and society (www.ict.gov.gh).

The Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy is based on the policyframework document: “An Integrated ICT-led Socio-economic Development Policy and PlanDevelopment Framework for Ghana”. The development of this policy framework was based on anation-wide consultative process involving all key stakeholders in the public sector, privatesector and civil society. The Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policystatement fully takes into account the aspirations and the provisions of key socio-Economicdevelopment framework documents including: the vision 2020 socio-Economic DevelopmentFramework; the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) (2002-2004) and the Co-ordinatedprogramme for Economic and Social Development of Ghana (2003-2012). The basic question,premise, motivation and objectives of the policy are outlined below.

The basic question addressed by the policy statement is how to address Ghana’s developmentalchallenges and accelerate the nation’s socio-economic development process to improve thesocio-economic well-being of its people through the development, deployment and exploitationof ICT within the society and economy (Republic of Ghana, 2013). The basic premise of thepolicy is that Ghana’s development process can be accelerated through the development,deployment and exploitation of ICTs within the economy and society. More so, the basicmotivation of the policy is that Ghana’s accelerated development within the emerginginformation and digital age will not be possible without an ICT-driven development agenda.

The overall objectives of the policy is to engineer an ICT-led socio-economic developmentprocess with the potential to transform Ghana into middle income, information-rich, knowledge-based and technology driven economy and society. Specifically, the policy aims:

To create the necessary enabling environment to facilitate the deployment, utilization andexploitation of ICTs within the economy and society;

To support the development of a viable knowledge-based ICT industry to facilitate theproduction, manufacturing, development, delivering, and distribution of ICT productsand services;

To facilitate the modernization of the agricultural sector through the deployment andexploitation of ICTs to improve on its efficiency and productivity;

To support the development of a competitive high value-added services sector, to serve asan engine for accelerated development and economic growth with the potential todevelop into a regional business-services and ICT hub;

To aid the process of the development of national human resource capacity and thenation’s R&D capabilities to meet the changing needs and demands of the economy;

To promote an improved educational system within which ICT are widely deployed tofacilitate the delivery of educational services at all levels;

To facilitate a wide-spread deployment and exploitation of ICTs within the society tosupport the delivery of health and social services;

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To support the modernization of the Civil and Public Service through institutionalreforms and the deployment and exploitation of ICTs to facilitate improvements inoperational effectiveness, efficiency and service delivery;

To facilitate the development, expansion, rehabilitation and the continuous modernizationof national information and communications infrastructure;

To guide the development and implementation of electronic government and governance,as well as electronic commerce and business strategies and action plans;

To accelerate the development of women and eliminate gender inequalities in education,employment and decision making through the deployment and exploitation of ICTs bybuilding capacities and providing opportunities for girls and women;

To facilitate the development and implementation of the necessary legal, institutional andregulatory framework and structures required for supporting the deployment, utilizationand the development of ICTs;

To facilitate the development and promotion of the necessary standards, good practicesand guidelines to support the deployment and exploitation of ICTs within the society andeconomy.

The policy has 14 pillars and promoting ICTs in education is the 2nd pillar. This pillar is aboutdeployment and exploitation of ICTs in education. Several strategies have been designed toachieve the policy. And one of them is to modernize Ghana’s educational system using ICTs toimprove and expand access to education, training and research resources and facilitates, as wellas to improve the quality of education and training and make the educational system responsiveto the needs and requirements of the economy and society with specific reference to thedevelopment of the information and knowledge-based economy and society.

This ICT in Education Policy is therefore seen as an epitomised version of the ultimate goal oftransforming the educational system by the Ministry and its sector stakeholders (Republic ofGhana, 2008). The policy is intended to be a guide by which, ICTs can be exploited in anefficient and coordinated effort to support the education sector’s own goals and operations, aswell as within the framework of the national development initiatives, including the abovementioned National ICT4AD Policy. In short, the ICT in Education Policy document seeks toprovide policy directions for what needs to be done, as well as the general framework in terms ofhow it will be implemented.

Before the policy, the Education Strategic Plan (ESP 2003-2015) and (ESP 2010-2020) of theGES had identified the need for ICT in education and emphasized the development of strategiesto integrate ICT in education to help achieve the objectives of the ESP. The objectives of theESP are carved into four pillars of education; Access, Quality, Gender and Inclusiveness, andEducation Management. Furthermore, in 2011 the basic school computerisation policy wascreated. The policy looks at how computers and other ICT tools or infrastructural developmentcan be managed at the school level. This policy sought to:

transform the educational system to provide the requisite educational, and trainingservices and environment capable of producing the right types of skills and human

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resources required for developing and driving Ghana’s information and knowledge-basedeconomy and society within the educational system from primary school upwards.

strengthen science education at all levels of the educational system and as well aspromote technical and vocational training with emphasis on the use of ICTs to facilitatethe training and learning process.

achieve universal basic education and improve the level of basic and computer literacy inthe country.

transform Ghana into an information and knowledge–driven ICT literate nation introduce computers into all primary, secondary, vocational and technical schools and

mainstream ICTs throughout the entire educational system to promote life-long learning promote electronic distance education and training and virtual learning systems to

complement and supplement face-face campus based education and training systems. promote the development of women and eliminate gender inequalities in education,

employment and decision making through the deployment and exploitation of ICTs bybuilding capacities and providing opportunities for girls and women

promote ICT awareness and computer literacy within the public at large encourage collaboration between local and international educational institutions to

facilitate educational exchange and the promotion of ICT education and training develop re-training and re-skilling ICT programmes for the management staff of the

Ministry of Education and educational institutions at all levels promote internet access to all educational institutions and also promote e-learning in the

schools facilitate education learning within the educational system and to promote e-learning and

e-education as well as life-long learning within the population at large.

Objectives of the Study/ResearchSpecifically the objectives of the study/research were to:

1. Assess the extent of implementation of ICT in Education Policy in the four target regions,2. Explore the availability of ICT skills of teachers to use ICT tools to aid the teaching and

learning process,3. Determine the level of availability of ICT tools in schools,4. Determine the level of use of ICT tools in schools by gender,5. Determine how ICTs are currently being used in the educational sector in the four

regions,6. Identify gaps in implementation by comparing policy guide to actual implementation,

and,7. Determine the overall achievement level of the policy guidelines in terms of

implementation with key focus on the four key elements underpinning the policyframework (Equity, Access to ICT Infrastructure, Capacity Building, and Norms &Standards)

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Approach and MethodologyThe study approach was both participatory and consultative in nature. The approach relied onfield visits, interviews and observation. Discussions were held with teachers and pupils andeducational policy makers (e.g., Regional and District Directors of Education). The scope of theresearch is broad covering four (4) regions (Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Volta) seeMap of study area. As part of the methodology, a total number of 7 research assistants wereemployed to assist in gathering primary data from the sampled schools and respondents. Eachresearch assistant interviewed three (3) schools per day. The following specific techniques wereemployed to achieve the objectives of the research:

A review of existing project documents and other relevant secondary data relevant orpolicy documents. This helped to provide better contextual understanding of the ICTpolicy with emphasis on its strengths and weaknesses

Interviews with key external stakeholders including pupils, teachers, ICT staff and headteachers.

Interviews with policy makers and key informants Identifying and analysing advocacy issues emanating from the study results Organising a stakeholder workshop to validate findings of the study Photographs of ICT facilities and space in schools

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Ethical considerationsEthical issues in studies of this nature are critical first for ensuring participation and secondly forguaranteeing reliability and traceability. Following this, the study was guided by importantethical issues from beginning to end. Respondents were given the opportunity to decide whetheror not they were willing to volunteer information. Thus, willingness to participate and to giveinformation became the major principles that guided this evaluation. As stated in the TOR, Ishall relinquish intellectual property right of this report to C4C Education Ghana Alliance upondelivery of final document. The Director of Savana Signatures remained the primary contactperson during the consultancy period. Also, each research assistant was given an introductoryletter in order to enable him to collect data from the regional GES directorate through the districtGES directorate to the circuits and schools.

Study PlanBefore actual field work started, some levels of preliminary discussions were held with theDirector, Savana Signatures to deepen my understanding of the nature and objectives of theresearch. Aside, Savana Signatures facilitated a meeting with ICT Directors for all four regionsto discuss the data collection instrument. The meeting was used as a platform to discuss and tofine tune the instrument. The research process was accomplished in four phases specified asfollows:

Phase 1: Meeting with Savana signatures, signing of agreement, design and finalisationof research questions, work plan; preparation of data gathering instrument, training offield assistants and desk review.

Phase 2: Field visit to gather qualitative and quantitative data relating to the objectives ofthe evaluation through the use of checklist, focus group discussions and in-depth keyinformant interviews. The Phase 2 also involved preliminary analysis of the findings.

Phase 3: Data analysis and synthesis and writing up of the evaluation report andhighlighting key advocacy issues.

Phase 4: Validation workshop and submission of evaluation report.

SamplingThe study covered all project regions (4), 40 districts and 6402 schools (e.g., 333 Primary and295 JSS). The distributions were Northern region (142 primary and 90 JHS), Upper East region(42 primary and 47 JHS), Upper West region (38 primary and 37 JHS) and Volta region (111primary and 121 JHS). All four Regional Directors of Education were interviewed. In addition,10 District Directors of Education were sampled randomly and interviewed. Usually theselection of sample sizes is influenced by several factors. With this present research three keyfactors guided the sampling process. These are time, availability of funds and sample population(whether small or large). The sampling process benefited from existing literature. A sample sizeselection formula table provided by Krenjcie and Morgan (1970) was adopted. The sample sizefor primary and JHS are shown in Table 2. Sampling at the district level represents over 50% ofall districts in the project area (Table 2).

2 Data on twelve (12) schools were not accurate and were therefore removed.

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S= X2 NP (1-P) ÷ d2 (N-1) + X2 P (1-P)Where,S = Require Sample sizeX2 = The table value of chi-square for 1 degree of freedom at the desired confidence levelN = Population sizeP = Proportion of population (assumed to be 0.50 since this would provide the maximum size)d = the degree of accuracy expressed as a proportion (0.05)

Tables 1 and 2 present information about the number of sampled districts and schools.

Table 1: School population for Sampled Districts, Regions and SchoolsRegions Number of

DistrictsPrimary Schools JHS Total

Volta 14 900 562 1462Northern 14 1218 389 1607Upper East 6 360 222 582Upper West 6 333 222 555Total 40 2811 (338) 1395 (302) 4206 (640)

Table 2: Calculated sample size by Region and SchoolRegions Number of

DistrictsPrimary Schools JHS Total

Volta 14 108 122 230Northern 14 147 84 231Upper East 6 43 48 91Upper West 6 40 48 88Total 40 338 302 640

The tables provide information regarding the sample sizes within Regions and Districts. Thesample sizes are determined based on the total population for each region. Thus, theproportionate approach which distributes sample sizes into proportions based on given samplepopulations was used to calculate the required sample sizes. In this case, the sample size ofschools for each Region was computed based on the proportions of school populations. With theproportionate approach, the sample size of each region is proportionate to the school populationsize of the region. Thus, regional sample sizes were determined by the following equation:

nj = ( Nj / N ) * nwhere

nj is the sample size for stratum j,Nj is the population size for stratum j,N is total population size,

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n is total sample size.

Table 3: Sample size by District and School in Volta RegionDistrict Primary -108 JHS -122 Total SampleAkatsi North 25 (3) 16 (3) 6Akatsi South 73 (9) 34 (7) 16Keta (anlo) 96 (11) 82 (18) 29Ho Municipal 79 (9) 66 (14) 23Ho West 81 (10) 56 (12) 22Hohoe 73 (9) 54 (12) 21Kadjebi 64 (8) 36 (8) 16Krachi East 63 (8) 27 (6) 14Krachi West 46 (6) 16 (4) 10Krachi Ntsumuru 54 (6) 20 (4) 10Central Tongu 66 (8) 47 (10) 18Biakoye 68 (8) 42 (9) 17Adaklu 30 (4) 22 (5) 9Nkwanta South 82 (9) 44 (10) 19Total 900 (108) 562 (122) 230

Similarly, the proportionate approach was employed to compute sample sizes for each districtafter obtaining the list of schools from the client, Savana Signatures. Simple random samplingwas then used to select districts and schools for data collection. Details of the sample sizes forVolta region, Northern region, Upper East region and Upper West region are contained in Tables4, 5, 6 and 7.

Table 4: Sample size by District and School in Northern RegionDistrict Primary- 147 JHS – 84 Total Sample

Bole 57 (7) 28 (6) 13East Mamprusi 76 23 21East Gonja 100 (12) 34 (7) 19Gushiegu 99 (12) 18 (4) 16Karaga 84 (10) 15 (3) 13

Nanumba North 97 (12) 32 (7) 19

Saboba 73 (9) 28 (6) 15

Savelugu Nanton 93 (11) 25 (5) 16Tamale Metropolitan 160 (19) 60 (13) 32

Tolon 70 (8) 19 (4) 12West Gonja 33 (5) 15 (4) 9West Mamprusi 86 (10) 44 (9) 19

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Yendi Municipal 100 (12) 27 (6) 18Zabzugu 49 (6) 11 (3) 9

Total 1218 (156) 389 (84) 231

Table 5: Sample size by District and School in Upper East RegionDistrict Primary- 43 JHS- 48 Total Sample

Bawku Municipal 46 (5) 29 (6) 11Bawku West 67 (8) 45 (10) 18Bolgatanga Municipal 71 (8) 52 (11) 19Builsa South 29 (4) 17 (4) 8Garu Tempane 90 (11) 39 (8) 19Kassena Nankana Municipal 57 (7) 40 (9) 16

Total 360 (43) 222 (48) 91

Table 6: Sample size by District and School in Upper West RegionDistrict Primary- 40 JHS - 48 Total SampleLambussie-Karni 35 (4) 25 (5) 9Lawra 33 (4) 24 (5) 9Nadowli 63 (8) 36 (8) 16Sissala East 53 (6) 43 (9) 15Wa Municipal 64 (8) 25 (5) 13Wa West 85 (10) 69 (16) 26

Total 333 (40) 222 (48) 88

Data and Data AnalysisData was gathered on key areas of the policy. The key areas that were considered are availabilityof ICT in schools, accessibility and use of ICT in schools and ICT infrastructure in schools.Details of data collected are contained in Table 7 below.

Table 7: Type of Data CollectedData Area Type of Data

Total number of computers in all schoolsTotal number of computers in PrimaryTotal number of computers in JHS

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Availabilityof ICT inschools

Total excelTotal power pointTotal computers per school for every 100 students (P & JHS)Total computers per school for every 100 students (P)Total computers per school for every 100 students (JHS)Total computers per school for every 10 teachers (P& J)Total computers per school for every 10 teachers (P)Total computers per school for every 10 teachers (J)

Accessibilityand use ofICT inschools

Proportion of computers connected to the Internet (%) (P&J)Proportion of computers connected to the Internet (%) (P)Proportion of computers connected to the Internet (%) (J)Proportion of all computers available for pedagogical use (%)Proportion of all computers available for administrative purposes (%) (P&J)Proportion of all computers available for administrative purposes (%) (P)Proportion of all computers available for administrative purposes (%) (J)Learners-to-computer ratio (for pedagogical purposes)- (P&J)Learners-to-computer ratio (for pedagogical purposes)-(P)Learners-to-computer ratio (for pedagogical purposes)- (J)Learners to computer ratio (in schools with computer-assisted instruction)

Use of ICT

The frequency in which ICTs are used to prepare lessons, give lessons, andconfidence levels among the staff.Number of male teachers who use ICTNumber of female teachers who use ICTChallenges

ICTinfrastructurein schools

Educational institutions with a Local Area Network (LAN)Educational institutions with a telephone communication facilityEducational institutions with a websiteEducational institutions with access to the InternetEducational institutions with computer laboratoriesEducational institutions with computer-assisted instruction (CAI)Educational institutions with electricityEducational institutions with fixed broadband Internet accessEducational institutions with ICT support servicesEducational institutions with Internet-assisted instruction (IAI)Educational institutions with open educational resources (OER)Educational institutions with radio-assisted instruction (RAI)Educational institutions with television-assisted instruction (TAI)School ICT policies and programmesChallenges

Data gathered from the communities was first collated at regional levels followed by district.Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS and the findings presented in tables, charts and countfrequencies and percentages while qualitative data was analysed descriptively. Conclusions aredrawn from the discussions of the findings by matching the results with the research objectives.

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As a standard requirement for social science studies the significance level selected was forprobability of 5% (i.e. p at 0.05).

Research Management arrangementsThe research process was managed by the Team Leader and 2 Associate Consultants. The TeamLeader was in-charge of organising meetings on the assignment. Before the actual field work, theTeam leader ensured that all the logistics and materials and other resources required for the studywere in place. The Team Leader also worked closely with Savana Signatures and its partners onall relevant research issues. The main task of the Associate Consultants was to supervise andmonitor data collection from various regions, districts and communities. Each AssociateConsultant was assigned two regions. The Associate Consultants also took part in the datacollection. They interviewed directors of education and policy makers and then submitted theirreports to the Team Leader for collation. Quality control measures were put in place to ensurethat things were done in a transparent and reliable manner. This was achieved through constantcontact with the client in all pertinent issues regarding the assignment. The client was regularlydebriefed on progress of the research.

Research ConstraintsThe main research constraint was the recent nation-wide teachers’ strike. Public primary schoolswere closed during the 3-week strike period and it was almost impossible to get respondents atthe school level. Further, the recent chieftaincy conflict in Bunkpurugu prevented theadministration of questionnaires in the district. As such, it was replaced by East MamprusiDistrict. Again, due to the academic year that just begun most of the District Education Directorsand Head teachers were too busy to attend to the research team when they were called upon to doso. Some meetings had to be rescheduled and aside delays which affected the research time. Theresearch process also suffered from incurring extra costs in terms of money.

FindingsThe results presented touch on brief background characteristics of schools (e.g., school category,number of staff and pupils enrolment), availability of ICT tools, use of ICT tools, confidencelevel of pupils and teachers in ICT programmes. Other areas are type of educational software andICT infrastructure in all the four regions.

Background characteristics of schoolsFigures in Table 10 indicate that the average number of staff in school across all four regions is10. There are 3308 teachers at the primary and 2877 at the JHS bringing the total number ofteachers to 6180. There are more male staff (mean = 6) than female staff (mean = 4) in schoolacross all the regions. The average number of professional teachers across Primary and JHSstands at eight (8). Half of all teachers at JHS are professional whiles 49.9% of teachers areprofessional at the primary showing no significant difference between primary and JHS. This isgood news for the project because it will be easier to give refresher training for professional staffon ICT to effectively teach ICT. The enrolment of pupil shows that girls are more in primaryschool level (average = 165) than boys (average 92). This shows that as pupils progress to the

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JHS level the enrolment figures for girls drop perhaps due to early and/or forced marriage. Thisfinding is consistent with several other studies in Ghana.

Table 8: Average number of staff and pupils in all regionsVariables N Minimum Maximum Mean Std.

Male staff 624 0 59 6 3.90721Female staff 600 0 22 4 3.26034Both male and female staff 626 2 30 10 4.53973Boys enrolment primary 328 16 526 170 97.91871Girls enrolment primary 329 14 547 165 96.71904Boys enrolment JHS 291 12 564 104 68.45428

Girls enrolment JHS 298 10 319 92 58.23118Professional teachers 625 1 27 8 4.31545Non professionals 428 0 12 1 1.47496Pupil teachers 438 0 23 1 2.06923Source: Field survey, 2014.

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Table 9: School enrolment by region

RegionPrimary JHS Overall total

Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total

F % F % F % F % F % F % F %Northern 26590 47.5 24653 45.3 51243 46.4 13542 44.3 10632 38.7 24174 41.7 75417 44.8

UpperWest

5704 10.2 6016 11.1 11720 10.6 2980 9.8 2868 10.5 5848 10.1 17568 10.4

UpperEast

8487 15.2 8508 15.6 16995 15.4 4561 14.9 4758 17.3 9319 16.1 26314 15.6

Volta 15145 27.1 15262 28.0 30407 27.6 9461 31.0 9195 33.5 18656 32.2 49063 29.2

Total 55926 100 54439 100 110365 100 30544 100 27453 100.0 57997 100.0 168362 100.0

Source: Field survey, 2014.

Table 10: Gender distribution of teachers by school category

RegionPrimary JHS Overall total

Male Female Total Male Female Total

F % F % F % F % F % F % F %Northern 919 62.3 557 37.7 1476 100.0 792 79.4 206 20.6 998 100.0 2474 100.0UpperWest 232 49.2 240 50.8 472 100.0 290 66.5 146 33.5 436 100.0 908 100.0UpperEast 128 38.9 201 61.1 329 100.0 268 73.4 97 26.6 365 100.0 694 100.0Volta 535 52.1 491 47.9 1026 100.0 710 65.9 368 34.1 1078 100.0 2104 100.0Total 1814 54.9 1489 45.1 3303 100.0 2060 71.6 817 28.4 2877 100.0 6180 100.0Source: Field survey, 2014.

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Objective 1: Extent of implementation of ICT in Education Policy in the four target regions

As already mentioned the ICT in Education Policy aimed to achieve increased access, quality,gender sensitivity and inclusiveness, and improved education management. The generalobservation has shown that the ICT in Education Policy has not been adequately implemented.This is because many of the schools in the study area do not have ICT tools and equipment andthe few schools with ICT tools and equipment complained of inadequacy because the tools donot meet the needs of both staff and pupils to enhance teaching and learning. The findings alsoshow that there are more ICT tools and equipment at the JHS level compared to primary schoollevel. This is contrary to our expectation because experience has shown that pupils learn better atthe tender age than their youthful/adult age.

The policy has not achieved much in terms of making available computers to schools. In all,there is a total number of 3,217 computers. Out of this total 86% of the computers are used forpedagogical purpose while the remaining 14% is used for administrative reasons. Using the totalnumber of computers for pedagogical purposes the ratio of computers to every 100 learners iscomputed as 2:1. The interpretation is that for every 100 pupils there is only two computers andfor every 10 pupils there is less than one computer for use. This ratio is high at the Primary(1:0.53) as compared to JHS (4:1). The total number of computers for pedagogical use in allschools is 2,754 representing 86% and almost 80% of these computers are located at the JHS.Learners to computer ratio is low (61:1) for all schools. There are relatively low computers at theprimary school relative to the JHS. Learners to computer ratio at the primary is 189:1 while thatof JHS is 27:1. This means access to computers at the primary school level is a problem becauseabout 190 pupils are chasing every computer. The inadequacy of computers in primary school asdeduced from the above ratios suggests that pupils face challenges in accessing ICT tools forlearning. However, a ratio of 2:1 indicates that teachers have more access to ICT tools ascompared to learners.

As already stated only 14% of computers are available for administrative purposes. Thisinvolves the use of computers for communication (letter writing), storage of data (number ofteachers, pupils and other physical items) and for design of report cards, terminal reports andcertificates. In terms of school category, the JHS level has more percentage of computers (10%)compared with primary school (4%) for administrative purposes. The low level of ICT tools foradministrative reasons slows down ICT communication between schools and the outside world.Specifically, it affects decision making and implementation of education related activities atschools and contributes to high ICT illiteracy rate.

Indeed, access to computers is a necessary condition but not sufficient. The ability to use them toteach in both primary and JHS and by male and female teachers is weak. Only a small proportionof teachers use computers to aid teaching. The research found that only 18% and 8% of maleand female teachers respectively apply computers for teaching. Seventy percent of all teacherswho are capable of using ICT tools for teaching constitute male and the rest are female. Theanalysis indicates that the policy perhaps is putting more emphasis on availability rather than

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productivity. Similarly, only about 22% male teachers use ICT for research compared to 8% offemale who do same.

In order to boost the use of ICT for teaching and research, the EDUNET policy managementsystem was originated in 2012. The EDUNET policy looks at the networks policy that deals withnetwork security. It has three (3) servers at GES headquarters in Accra, which all GES regionaland district directorate offices are supposed to be hooked to. The evidence gathered shows thatnot all district GES directorates have been hooked onto the server. In the Volta regional GESdirectorate for instance, the directorate implemented the Education Network (EduNet)component of the Ghana Education Decentralization Project (GEDP). As a result, the VoltaRegional Education Office and two selected Districts (e.g., Nkwanta North and Nkwanta South)were adequately networked and hooked onto the internet. In 2013, the ICT for developmentpolicy was formulated. This looks at software deployment, infrastructural development andhuman resource capacity building. The creation of educational software has been wonderful.However, the software is yet to get to the school level. The research shows that many schools inall the four regions are in the early phase of adopting ICT. The provision of ICT tools andequipment is inadequate at the basic level. As a result, not all schools are able to study thesubject effectively, let alone to pass ICT examination. The evidence suggests that the capacity ofteachers to effectively deliver in ICT is low because of lack of regular training and poor internetaccess to do research.

The Ghana Education Service with support from the World Bank also implemented the GhanaSenior Schools Connectivity Project (GSSCP) in all public Senior High Schools in the Voltaregion. ICT teachers and school based coordinators were trained and most schools were providedwith internet connectivity. In Kadjebi for instance, 120 teachers were trained and 16 schoolsreceived laptops. As a result, more and more teachers are becoming interested in the teaching ofICT in all the schools. This is gradually creating a lot of awareness and improving pupils andparents’ interest in the area.

Figure 1: Does your school have an ICT policy?

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Source: Field survey, 2014.Figure 1 suggests that out of the sampled 628 schools, 172 schools representing 27 percent saidtheir schools have ICT policy. Upper West Region recorded the highest number of schools (bothprimary and JHS) that have an ICT policy while the Upper East region has the least number ofschools with an ICT policy. Although there appears to be a missing stakeholder orientation onthe ICT policy in schools many school heads and education directors stated that there is no needto have ICT policies other than the one formulated by the government. The explanation was thatschools should work towards achieving national policies to avoid duplication of efforts.Nonetheless, schools that indicated that they have ICT policies argued that there is the need toformulate local or school level policies to guide school authorities in implementing the nationalpolicy. Examples of school level ICT policies are:

“all teachers must learn computer in order to teach the ICT course”“any teacher or student who misplaces a computer has to replace it”

The fact that majority of the schools do not have ICT policies does not necessarily suggests lowembracement of ICT rather it is built on the assumption that schools must work around thenational ICT policy to enhance teaching and learning.

Role of civil society organisations and multilateral organizations in ICT tools/equipmentprovision

The findings show that apart from government, some CSOs such as Savana Signatures, WorldVision, EDUKANS , International Institute for Communications and Development (IICD),Discovery Learning Alliance (DLA) and multilateral organizations such as UNICEF have beeninstrumental in the provision of ICT tools and equipment to schools as well as building thecapacity of teachers and pupils. All the efforts or contributions of these CSOs are geared towardsthe realisation of the ICT policy. However, there is still the need for more to be done by way of

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collaboration in order to reduce high transaction cost and duplication of activities. TheGovernment of Ghana in partnership with rLG for instance, distributed an average of 24 laptopsto 280 out of the 3,920 basic schools in the Volta region. In addition, 94 public and privateSenior High Schools in the Volta region received an average of 45 laptops each to enhance ICTteaching and learning. Coupled with that basic school teachers in the Volta region received 2,072rLG laptop computers after successfully going through ICT training organized by thegovernment in partnership with rLG. Table 11 presents the roles of these CSOs and multilateralorganizations in the study areas.

Table 11: CSOs and multilateral organizations and the provision of ICT tools, equipmentand capacity building

Institutions/organizations3 Role

Connect4Change (IICD andEdukans)Savana Signatures, Wadep,PEPS-C, PEU and Ibis inGhana

Building capacity of teachers Provide human resource for capacity building ICT training for head teachers and teachers in some

basic schools to enhance ICT training for girls camped during school vacations ICT training for staff of GES; Circuit Supervisors,

Secretaries, statistics officers Distributed computers to some basic schools Trained head teachers and teachers on ICT Trained female teachers Trained 100 teachers from 4 selected basic schools on

the use of ICT in preparation and delivery of lesson inVolta region.

Provided cameras for videoing and playing back ofmaterials as part of the training.

UNICEF Provided Savelugu-Nanton district with mobile phonesfor collecting data from schools and reporting formonitoring purposes. The phones have been programwith some software questionnaire.

rLG Trained teachers at the basic schools and staff of GES Issued certificates to teachers trained in ICT Distributed laptops to some teachers of basic schools

and SHSDiscovery Learning Alliance(DLA)

Video form of lesson delivery training for teachers Distributed flat screens, video decks, generators,

programmed CDs on some subjects and otheraccessories to some selected schools


3 Data on the # of teachers trained, # of schools trained, # of equipment provided to schools, BEQUIP program toenhance teaching, Content development, Knowledge sharing were not covered by this study.

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Objective 2: Availability of ICT skills of teachers to use ICT tools to aid the teaching andlearning process

Computers connected to internet and for administrative useTable 12 shows that on average there are six and one computers respectively for pedagogical andadministrative purposes. Also, at least 1 computer is available for administrative purposes andconnected to the internet across all the four regions. Computers connected to the internet at theprimary school stands at 13% compared with 87% at the JHS. Some of the schools use theadministrative computers to type terminal examination questions, enter records of pupils, andstoring other vital school information.

Table 12: Use of computers for pedagogical and administrative purposesVariables # Minimum Maximum Mean Std.

Teachers with own computers 569 0 121 3 5.62962

Teachers who have access tocomputers

593 0 30 6 4.93681

Computers connected to theinternet

391 0 46 1 4.32738

Computers available forpedagogical use

485 0 46 6 8.93940

Computers available foradministrative purposes

415 0 25 1 2.56031


Figure 2 shows that 44%, 59%, 60% and 61% of teachers in the Upper West, Northern, Voltaand Upper East regions respectively use computers without needing any form of help. There isthe need for the project to build the capacity of teachers especially in the Upper West andNorthern regions on how to independently use computers for work. Also, the findings reveal that64%, 65%, 68% and 69% of teachers’ knowledge in computer in the Northern, Volta, UpperWest and Upper East regions respectively, help them to deliver their official duties (Figure 3).This means that majority of teachers who use computers without help and to deliver officialduties are found in the Upper East region.

Figure 2: Can the teachers who have access to computers use it without help?

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Source: Field survey, 2014.Figure 3: Does teachers’ knowledge of computer help them deliver their official duties?


Use of Computer ProgrammesFigure 4 indicates that, out of the 628 schools selected from the four regions, 575 schoolsrepresenting about 92 percent said their teachers can perform basic computing. Of the 575schools, the Northern region had the largest share of teachers (223 representing 96% schools)who can perform basic computing that is, whiles the Upper West region had the least share of 62schools representing 82.7 percent of the 75 schools selected from the region. The results alsoshows that 494 schools representing about 79 percent said their teachers can use Microsoft word.More so, 312 schools representing about 50 percent said their teachers can use Microsoft excel.Of the 312 schools, the Northern region had the greatest percentage (56%) while the Upper Eastregion had the least share of 40 schools (45%).

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Furthermore, 204 schools representing about 33 percent said their teachers can use Microsoftpower point. Of the 204 schools, the Northern region had the greatest share of 73 schools whilethe Upper East region had the least share of 27 schools representing 30 percent of the 89 schoolsselected from the region (see Figure 4). Again, only 64 schools representing 10 percent said theirteachers can use Microsoft publisher. Of the 64 schools, the Volta region had the greatest shareof 25 schools which represents about 11 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region,whiles the Upper East region had the least share of 8 schools representing 9 percent of the 89schools selected from the region. More so, only 66 schools representing about 11 percent saidtheir teachers can use Microsoft access. Of the 66 schools, the Volta region had the greatest shareof 23 schools which represents about 10 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region,whiles the Upper East region had the least share of 10 schools representing 11 percent of the 89schools selected from the region (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Use of computer programmes


Moreover, 424 schools representing about 68 percent said their teachers can use internet webbrowser. Of the 424 schools, the Northern region had the greatest share of 182 schools whichrepresents 78 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region, while the Upper West regionhad the least share of 46 schools representing 61 percent of the 75 schools selected from theregion. It is therefore evident that majority of teachers in the Northern region can use computerprogrammes than the other three regions. In fact, comparing the percentages across the regions, itis observed that the Upper West region was trailing in all the computer programmes. Therefore,

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there is the need for greater and more attention in the Upper west region for the provision ofcapacity building for teachers on ICT. Besides, Savana Signatures can also advocate and lobbyfor more newly trained teachers (because they have been trained on ICT at the College ofEducation) to be deployed to the schools.

Figure 5 also shows that the use of computer programmes is higher at the JHS than the primaryschool level. This is probably due to the provision of ICT tools and equipment to the JHS level,the provision of capacity building to more JHS teachers and also the less interest of primaryschool teachers to use ICT to teach and/or deliver lessons.

Figure 5: Performance in ICT programmes by school category


Teachers’ confidence level in the use of computer programmesSince 2011, there has been a gradual shift from the provision of ICT tools and equipment to basicschool to building the capacity of school teachers. Since then, rLG has trained basic schoolteachers in basic computing and other programmes to help them facilitate teaching and learning.In January 2014 for instance, the regional GES of Volta region and rLG collaborated and trainedabout 3,084 basic school teachers. The regional GES directorate also trained three (3) districtofficers from each GES directorate and four other regional GES staff on the use of the SchoolReport Card Software. Furthermore, some districts such as Nkwanta North and Nkwanta South

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GES directorates used part of the GPEG to train GES staff and teachers on the use of computers.This suggests that the GES has been proactive at the supply and demand side of the ICT. What isnot too clear is whether teachers have confidence in all the programmes being taught. It isagainst this background that this sub-section assesses the confidence level of teachers inperforming basic computing, Microsoft office word, Microsoft office excel, Microsoft officepublisher, Microsoft office power point, Microsoft office access and internet browsing.

Figure 6: Confidence level of teachers in performing basic computing


Figure 6 indicates that out of 561 schools in the four regions, who stated their confidence level inperforming basic computing, 152 schools representing 27 percent said their teachers are veryconfident, 208 schools (37%) said their teachers are somehow confident, 147 (26%) said theirteachers are confident, and 54 representing about 10 percent said their teachers are not confident.Out of the 152 schools whose teachers are very confident when performing basic computing, theNorthern region had the greatest share of 95 schools representing about 42 percent of the validresponses, whiles the Volta region had the least share of 16 schools representing 9 percent ofvalid responses. On the other hand, out of the 54 schools whose teachers are not confident whenperforming basic computing, the Volta region had the largest share of 21 schools representing 12

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percent of the valid responses in the region, whiles the Upper West region had the least share of4 schools representing 5 percent of the 75 schools in the region.

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Figure 7: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office word?


Figure 7 shows that out of 616 schools of the four regions who stated teachers’ confidence levelwhen using Microsoft word, 139 schools representing about 23 percent said their teachers arevery confident, 196 schools representing about 32 percent said their teachers are somehowconfident, 159 representing about 27 percent said their teachers are confident, and 122representing about 20 percent said their teachers are not confident. Out of the 139 schools whoseteachers are very confident when using Microsoft word, the Northern region had the greatestshare of 62 schools representing 7 percent of the valid responses in the region, whiles the UpperWest region had the least share of 20 schools representing about 7 percent of valid responses inthe region. On the other hand, out of the 122 schools whose teachers are not confident whenusing Microsoft word, the Upper East region had the largest share of 47 schools representingabout 21 percent of the 229 schools in the region, whiles the Upper West region had the leastshare of 10 schools representing 13 percent of the valid responses in the region.

Figure 8 points that out of 609 schools of the four regions who stated the confidence level ofteachers when using Microsoft office power point, 38 schools representing 6 percent said theirteachers are very confident, 125 schools representing about 21 percent said their teachers aresomehow confident, 142 representing 23 percent said their teachers are confident, and 304representing about 50 percent said their teachers are not confident. Out of the 38 schools whoseteachers are very confident when using Microsoft office power point, the Northern region hadthe greatest share of 16 schools representing 7 percent of the valid response in the region, whilesthe Upper West region had the least share of 5 schools representing about 7 percent of the validresponses in the region.

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Figure 8: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office power point?


Figure 9: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office access?


Figure 9 shows that out of 602 schools of the four regions who indicated the confidence level ofteachers when using Microsoft office access, 24 schools representing 4 percent said theirteachers are very confident, 101 schools representing about 17 percent said their teachers aresomehow confident, 112 representing 19 percent said their teachers are confident, and 365representing about 61 percent said their teachers are not confident. Out of the 24 schools whoseteachers are very confident when using Microsoft office access, the Northern region had the

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greatest share of 7 schools representing 8 percent of the valid responses in the region, whiles theUpper West region had the least share of 4 schools representing 5 percent of the valid responsesin the region.

Figure 10: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft office publisher?


The results in Figure 10 indicates that out of 599 schools of the four regions who stated theconfidence level of their teachers at using Microsoft office publisher, 16 schools representingabout 3 percent said their teachers are very confident, 61 schools representing 10 percent saidtheir teachers are somehow confident, 99 representing about 17 percent said their teachers areconfident, and 423 schools representing about 71 percent said their teachers are not confident.Out of the 16 schools whose teachers are very confident when using Microsoft office publisher,the Upper West region had the greatest share of 7 schools representing 9 percent of the validresponses, whiles the Volta region had the least share of 1 school representing about 1 percent ofthe valid responses in the region.

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Figure 11: What is the confidence level of teachers when using Microsoft excel?


Figure 11 shows that out of 503 schools of the four regions who indicated the confidence level ofteachers when using Microsoft office excel, 58 schools representing 12 percent said theirteachers are very confident, 117 schools representing 23 percent said their teachers are somehowconfident, 165 representing 33 percent said their teachers are confident, and 163 schoolsrepresenting 32 percent said their teachers are not confident. Out of the 58 schools whoseteachers are very confident when using Microsoft office excel, the Northern region had thegreatest share of 25 schools representing 11 percent of the valid responses, whiles the Upper Eastregion had the least share of 8 school representing 9 percent of the valid responses in the region.

In figure 12, out of 613 schools of the four regions who indicated the confidence level ofteachers when using internet web browser, 195 schools representing about 32 percent said theirteachers are very confident, 117 schools representing 19 percent said their teachers are somehowconfident, 168 representing 27 percent said their teachers are confident, and 133 schoolsrepresenting about 22 percent said their teachers are not confident. Out of the 195 schools whoseteachers are very confident when using internet web browser, the Northern region had thegreatest share of 84 schools representing 37 percent of the valid responses, whiles the Upper Eastregion had the least share of 18 school representing about 21 percent of the valid responses in theregion.

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Figure 12: What is the confidence level of teachers when using internet web browser?


Objective 3: Level of availability of ICT tools in schools

The findings show that out of the sampled 628 schools, 318 schools representing about 51percent said their teachers have personal laptops. Of the 318 schools, the Northern region had thehighest share of 131 schools which represents about 57 percent (see Table 13). On the otherhand, the Upper East region had the least share of 35 schools representing 39 percent of the 89schools selected from the region. The probability associated with the chi-square statistic of48.071 is less than 0.01 indicating there is a significant difference between regions and teacher’spersonal laptop (see Annex F). Table 13 indicates that out of the 628 schools of the four regions,157 schools representing 25 percent said their schools have official laptops. Of the 157 schools,the Volta region had the highest share of 70 schools which represents 30 percent of the 232schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the Upper West region had the least share of20 schools representing about 27 percent of the 89 schools selected from the region.

Regarding desktop computers, the results show that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, 71schools representing 25 percent said their teachers have personal desktop computers. Of the 71schools, the Northern region had the highest share of 27 schools which represents 12 percent ofthe 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the Upper East region had the leastshare of 6 schools representing about 7 percent of the 89 schools selected from the region. Also,220 schools representing about 35 percent said their schools have official desktop computers. Ofthe 220 schools, the Northern region had the highest share of 94 schools which represents about41 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the Upper West regionhad the least share of 15 schools representing 20 percent of the 75 schools selected from theregion. The probability associated with the chi-square statistic of 11.761 is less than 0.01

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indicating there is a significant difference between the regions with regards to official desktopcomputers.

On projectors, Table 13 indicates that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, only 16 schoolsrepresenting about 3 percent said their teachers have personal projectors. Of the 16 schools, theVolta region had the highest share of 12 schools which represents about 6 percent of the 232schools selected from the region. The probability associated with the chi-square statistic of11.085 is less than 0.05 indicating there is a significant difference among regions with regards topersonal projectors. The results also indicate that 30 schools representing about 3 percent haveofficial projectors. Of the 30 schools, the Northern region had the largest share of 15 schoolswhich represents about 7 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand,all the 75 schools selected from the Upper West region did not have an official projector.

Table 13: Number of ICT tools in the schoolsICT tools Northern Region Upper East

RegionUpper West

RegionVolta Region

F % F % F % F %Laptops 1047 32.0 513 15.0 564 17.0 1194 36.0Desktop 409 38.0 172 16.0 60 6.0 444 40.0Projector 25 30.0 7 8.0 0 0.0 52 62.0Printer 49 36.0 12 9.0 12 9.0 63 46.0Phone 2487 48.0 623 12.0 694 13.0 1373 27.0Digital camera 38 39.0 8 8.0 9 9.0 42 44.0E-reader/Tablet Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 32 100.0Source: Field survey, 2014.

Table 13 reveals that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, 26 schools representing 4 percentsaid their teachers have personal printers. Of the 26 schools, the Volta region had the largestshare of 10 schools which represents about 7 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region.On the other hand, the Upper East and West regions had four schools each indicating thatteachers have their personal printers. On official printers, the study shows that out of the 628schools of the four regions, 67 schools representing about 11 percent said they have officialprinters. Of the 67 schools, the Northern region had the largest share of 28 schools whichrepresents 12 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the UpperWest region had the least share of 5 schools representing 7 percent of the 75 schools selectedfrom the region.

With regards to mobile phones, the results indicate that out of the 628 schools of the fourregions, 537 schools representing about 86 percent said their teachers have personal phones. Ofthe 537 schools, the Northern region had about 100 percent of teachers having their own mobilephones. On the other hand, in the Upper East region about 70 percent of the schools indicatedthat teachers have personal mobile phones. The probability associated with the chi-squarestatistic of 93.548 is less than 0.01 indicating there is significant difference the regions with

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regards to personal mobile phones. On official mobile phones Table 13 indicates that, out of the628 schools of the four regions, 13 schools representing 2 percent said they have official mobilephones. Of the 13 schools, the Volta region had the largest share of 9 schools which representsabout 4 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, of all the 75schools selected from the Upper West region, no school had an official phone. The high numberof teachers using mobile phones shows that ICT is penetrating deep down well. There is nodoubt that some of the mobile phones are smart phones which can be used to access the internetin order to get educational materials for teaching and learning. Since most teachers are familiarwith mobile phones, Savana Signatures can advocate for the development of educationalsoftware programmes on portable mobile phones for use by teachers.

Table 13 further points out that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, 66 schoolsrepresenting about 11 percent said teachers have personal digital cameras. Of the 66 schools, theVolta region had the largest share of 30 schools which represents about 13 percent of the 232schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the Upper East region had the least share of7 schools representing about 9 percent of the 75 schools selected from the region. On officialcamera, 8 schools representing 1 percent said their schools have official digital cameras. Of the 8schools, the Northern region had the largest share of 6 schools which represents about 3 percentof the 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the Upper East and West regionshad no digital camera for official use.

The study also shows that only the Volta region has schools provided with tablets and e-readers.This was made possible by the efforts of Pencils of Promise, which introduced the use of e-readers equipped with over 300 books in 3 selected schools. These e-readers enable readers orpupils to identify items such as a flower and study the parts of the flower by the individualhimself/herself.

Figure 13 shows the distribution of ICT tools to the schools. In fact, the results show that there isdisproportion in the distribution of ICT tools between JHS and primary school. This is a clearexample of policy failure. It is so unimaginable that JHS have more laptops, desktops, projectorsand printers than the primary school. There is the need to pay greater attention in the provision ofICT tools at the basic level as happening in Japan, Malaysia and Europe. This is the surest andtrust approach to achieving a transformational country.

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Figure 13: Availability of ICT tools by school category


Source of ICT toolsFigure 14 shows that out of the 592 schools in the four regions, 96 schools representing 16percent said they acquired ICT tools through GPEG. Upper East Region has the highest numberof schools (19) that have acquired ICT tools through GPEG while the Upper West region had theleast number of schools (2 schools). Also, only about 1% of all schools across the regions saidthey have used Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) to acquire ICTtools. Out of the four regions only one school representing less than 1 percent in the Northernregion and four schools representing 2 percent in the Volta region have acquired ICT toolsthrough GIFEC. The Ghana GIFEC has supported over 50 basic, Senior High Schools andColleges of Education in the Volta region were provided with desktop computers, ICT laboratoryand internet facilities.

Furthermore, the study shows that 118 schools representing about 20 percent said they acquiredICT tools through the support of NGOs. Northern region has the highest number of schools (66)that have been supported with ICT tools by NGOs. This is close to reality because most of theNGOs in Ghana are located in Northern region. Volta region recorded the least number ofschools (20) that have received support from NGOs for strengthening ICT tools.

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Figure 14: Source of ICT tools


Also, the results indicates that, out of the 596 schools in the four regions, 82 schools representingabout 14 percent said they acquired ICT tools through SMC/PTA. Upper East Region has thehighest number of schools (22) that have acquired ICT tools through SMC/PTA while UpperWest had the least number of schools (6) (see Figure 14).

Educational software on computerThe general finding on computer educational software is that the Volta region has more schoolswith computers having skoool, encarter and mavis beacon. This has been achieved as a result ofefforts by the regional GES directorate to appeal to the Ministry of Education to providecomputers with at least an encarter to the region to be distributed among schools and teachers.

Figure 15 indicates that out of the 628 schools in the four regions, 27 schools representing 4percent said they have skoool educational software4. Of the 27 schools, the Northern region hadthe largest share of 10 schools which represents 4 percent of the 232 schools selected from theregion. On the other hand, the Upper East region had the least share of 3 schools representing 3percent of the 89 schools selected from the region. The probability associated with the chi-squarestatistic of 9.232 is less than 0.05 indicating there is a significant difference between the regionswith regards to having skoool educational software on school computers.

The results also show that out of the 628 schools in the four regions, 283 schools representing 45percent said they have encarter on school computers. Of the 283 schools, the Volta region hadthe largest share of 107 schools which represents 46 percent of the 232 schools selected from the

4 Generally skoool is only relevant for JHS but it was surprising that some primary schools are using it.

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region. On the other hand, the Upper West region had the least share of 36 schools of the 75schools selected from the region (see Figure 15).

The study found that out of the 628 schools in the four regions, 304 schools representing 48percent said they have mavis beacon educational software on their computers. Of the 304schools, the Volta region had the largest share of 117 schools which represents 50 percent of the232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the Upper West region had the leastshare of 38 schools of the 75 schools selected from the region (see Figure 15).

Figure 16 indicates that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, only 24 schools representingabout 4 percent said they have other educational software such as encyclopaedia on theircomputers. Of the 24 schools, the Northern region had the largest share of 11 schools whichrepresents about 5 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, theUpper East region had the least share of 2 schools representing 2 percent of the 89 schoolsselected from the region. Figure 14 also reveals that all the JHS have these educational softwareprogrammes than the primary school across all the four regions.

Figure 15: Educational software on computer by region


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Figure 16: Educational software on computer by school category


Figure 17: Describe the frequency in which ICTs are being used to prepare lesson in yourschool?


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Figure 17 shows that out of the 624 schools in the four regions, 233 schools representing 37percent described the frequency in which ICTs are being used to prepare lesson notes as eitherfrequent or occasional, while 391 schools representing about 63 percent described the frequencyin which ICTs are being used to prepare lesson notes in their school as either rarely or never. Ofthe 233 schools, Volta region has the largest share of 82 schools representing 35 percent, whilethe Upper West region has the least share of 31 schools representing 13 percent. Also, for rarelyor never, Northern region has the largest share of 152 schools representing about 39 percentwhile Upper West region has the least share of 44 schools representing 11 percent. Also, theprobability associated with the chi-square statistic of 17.457 is less than 0.05 indicating there is asignificant difference between the frequency in which ICTs are being used to prepare lessons inschools in the regions.

The results in Figure 18 indicates that out of the 623 schools in the four regions, 276 schoolsrepresenting 44 percent described the frequency in which ICTs are being used to enrich lessoncontents in their school as either frequent or occasional, while 347 schools also representingabout 56 percent described the frequency in which ICTs are being used to enrich lesson contentsin their school as either rarely or never. Of the 276 schools, Volta and Northern regions have thelargest share of 95 schools each representing 34 percent, while Upper West region has the leastshare of 40 schools representing about 15 percent. Also, for rarely or never, Volta region has thelargest share of 135 schools representing 39 percent while Upper West region has the least shareof 44 schools representing about 13 percent.

Figure 18: Describe the frequency in which ICTs are being used to enrich lesson content?


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Figure 19 shows 243 schools representing 39 percent described the frequency in which ICTs arebeing used to deliver lessons in their school as either frequent or occasional, while 380 schoolsalso representing 61 percent described the frequency in which ICTs are being used to deliverlessons in their school as either rarely or never. Of the 243 schools, Volta region has the largestshare of 95 schools representing 39 percent, while Upper West region has the least share of 36schools representing 15 percent. For rarely or never, Northern region has the largest share of 159schools representing 42 percent, while Upper West region has the least share of 39 schoolsrepresenting 10 percent. The probability associated with the chi-square statistic of 25.210 is lessthan 0.01 indicating there is a significant difference between frequency in which ICTs are beingused to deliver lessons in the schools and the regions.

The study found that 170 schools representing 31 percent rated their pupils’ confidence level aseither high or moderate in using ICT, while 371 schools also representing about 69 percent ratedtheir pupils’ level of confidence as either low or no confidence at all in using ICT (see Figure20). Of the 170 schools, Volta region has the largest share of 71 schools representing 42 percent,while Upper West region has the least share of 22 schools representing about 13 percent. Also,for low or no confidence at all, Volta region again has the largest share of 161 schoolsrepresenting 43 percent, while Upper East region has the least share of 50 schools representingabout 14 percent (see Figure 20).

Figure 19: Describe the frequency in which ICTs are being used to deliver lesson in yourschool?


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Figure 20: Describe the confidence level of pupils in using ICT?


Figure 21: Describe the confidence level of teachers in using ICT tools?


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Figure 21 shows that 355 schools representing 57 percent rated their teachers’ confidence levelas either high or moderate in using ICT, while 266 schools also representing about 43 percentrated their teachers’ confidence as either low or no confidence at all in using ICT. Of the 355schools, Volta region has the largest share of 135 schools representing 38 percent, while UpperWest region has the least share of 47 schools representing 13 percent. Also, for low or noconfidence at all Northern region has the largest share of 116 schools representing 44 percentwhile Upper East and Upper West regions has the least share of 28 schools each representing 11percent.

Figure 22 shows that the use of ICT to prepare lessons is frequent (60 percent) in the JHS acrossall the regions as compared with primary schools (40 percent). It is also clear that as high as 63percent of primary schools across all the four regions never used ICT to prepare lessons. This is asource of worry and the project should invest on building the capacity of teachers to use ICT toprepare lessons. Preparing lessons using ICT can facilitate teaching and learning of newdiscoveries.

Figure 22: School category and frequency of use of ICT to prepare lessons


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Objective 4: Level of use of ICT tools in schools by gender

The ICT Policy in Education stresses the need for a balance in terms of ICT tools usage inschools. The study found that there is a difference between male and female teachers on theuse of ICT to prepare lesson, enrich lessons and deliver lessons. Figure 23 shows that 32percent of male teachers and 29 percent of female teachers across all the four regions use ICTtools to prepare lessons occasionally. Also, 33 percent of male teachers and 34 percent of femaleteachers said they have never used ICT tools to prepare lessons.

For the use of ICT tools to enrich lessons, the findings indicate that there is no significantdifference between male and female teachers. For instance, 36 percent and 35 percent of maleand female teachers respectively use ICT tools to occasionally enrich lessons. However, forlesson delivery, the use of ICT tools is high among female teachers (11 percent) compared withmale teachers (9 percent).

The research further found that there is a difference between male and female teachers in the useof ICT tools for teaching. Out of a total of 1579 teachers who use ICT for teaching 70% of themare male. Again, 73% of male teachers use ICT tools for research. This figure is high comparedto their female counterparts (27%). The analysis shows that there is still a gap between male andfemale teachers in terms of ICT tools application for teaching and research. Thus, a morefacilitative role is required by the project in order to contribute to narrowing the gap. Meanvalues for ICT tools use are contained in Table 14.

Table 14: Gender and use of ICT for teaching and research activitiesVariables # Minimum Maximum Mean Std.

Male teachers who use ICTtools for teaching

557 0 15 2 2.24807

Female teachers who use ICTtools for teaching

443 0 14 1 1.85823

Male teachers who use ICTtools for research

565 0 14 2 2.56774

Female teachers who use ICTtools for research

463 0 14 1 1.68850


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Figure 23: Frequency of use of ICT tools by gender


Figure 24: Gender and use of ICT for teaching and research activities


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Figure 24 shows that there is no significant difference between male teachers in primary schooland JHS use of ICT tools for teaching (see Annex F). The results show that about 50% of maleteachers in both primary and JHS use ICT tools for teaching. With respect to female teachers’use of ICT tools for teaching, the results show a significant difference between primary schooland JHS female teachers. In fact, it is observed that as high as 69 percent of female teachers inprimary schools use ICT tools for teaching.

Also, there are more male teachers in the JHS level who use ICT tools for research than theprimary school level male teachers. There is the need to strengthen the capacity of male teachersat the primary school level to enhance teaching and learning. Figure 23 shows that about 50percent of female teachers in primary and JHS level use ICT tools for research.

Confidence level of pupils and teachers when using ICT toolsThe need to examine the confidence level of pupils and teachers is very important because it willenable donors to understand if their investment in ICT is yielding positive results. In this sub-section, the study found that JHS boys’ confidence level is moderate (about 32 percent) whenusing ICT tools compared to JHS girls’ confidence level (about 5 percent). Also, 19 percent ofJHS girls do not have confidence in the use of ICT tools compared to 15 percent of JHS boys. Atthe primary level, there is no significant difference between boys and girls confidence level inthe use of ICT tools. In fact, the evidence gathered indicates that 5 percent of primary boys andgirls have high confidence level when using ICT tools. Also, about 36 percent of primary boysand girls respectively have no confidence in the use of ICT tools.

The analysis shows that about 11 percent of male staff and 8 percent of female staff have highconfidence level when using ICT tools (Figure 25). Also, 50 percent and 49 percent of male andfemale staff respectively have moderate confidence level when using ICT tools. This suggeststhat the confidence level of male and female staff do not show a significant difference. Theimplication therefore is that for ICT project implementation in the schools across the fourregions, it will be prudent to use both male and female staff to implement any intervention thataims at enhancing pupils confidence in the use of ICT tools.

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Figure 25: Confidence level of pupils and staff when using ICT tools


Information, communication technology infrastructureInvestment in ICT infrastructure has not been even across the four regions, and between districtswithin the same region. The findings indicate that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, 364schools representing 58 percent said they have electricity. The rest have poor or no power. Of the364 schools, the Volta region had the largest share of 152 schools which represents about 66percent of the 232 schools selected from the region. On the other hand, the Upper West regionhad the least share of 17 schools representing about 23 percent of the 75 schools selected fromthe region. The probability associated with the chi-square statistic of 45.352 is less than 0.01indicating there is a significant difference between schools with electricity and the regions.

Figure 26 indicates that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, 112 schools representing 18percent said they have computer laboratory. Of the 112 schools, the Volta region had the largestshare of 52 schools which represents 22.4 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region.On the other hand, the Upper West region had the least share of 6 schools representing 8 percentof the 75 schools selected from the region. Also, the probability associated with the chi-squarestatistic of 15.332 is less than 0.01 indicating there is a significant difference between regionsand computer laboratory.

In terms of distribution of ICT facilities between primary school and JHS, the study observedthat there are more primary schools with generators, solar panel, internet assisted instruction,open educational resource and television assisted instructions. This is because most of the

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primary schools across the four regions have NGOs supporting them with e-readers, 24'' colouredflat screen to aid teaching and learning. However, the JHS have more local area network,telephone communication facilities, access to the internet, educational software and electricitythan the primary school level (see Figure 27). The findings show that out of the 628 schools ofthe four regions, 144 schools representing about 23 percent said they have educational software.Of the 144 schools, the Volta region had the largest share of schools (60). On the other hand, theUpper West region had the least share of 6 schools representing 8 percent of the 75 schoolsselected from the region. The probability associated with the chi-square statistic of 10.964 is lessthan 0.05 indicating there is a significant difference between educational software and theregions.

Figure 26: Information communication technology infrastructure by region


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Figure 27: Information communication technology infrastructure by school category


Figure 26 also shows that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, 46 schools representing 7percent said they have telephone communication facility. Of the 46 schools, the Volta region hadthe largest share of 24 schools which represents 10 percent of the 232 schools selected from theregion. On the other hand, the Upper East region had the least share of 4 schools representingabout 5 percent of the 89 schools selected from the region.

In terms of internet access, the findings indicate that out of the 628 schools of the four regions,93 schools representing 15 percent said they have access to the internet. Of the 93 schools, theNorthern region had the largest share of 41 schools which represents only 17.7 percent of the 232schools selected from the region (see figure 26). On the other hand, the Upper West region hadthe least share of 4 schools representing 5 percent of the 75 schools selected from the region. Theprobability associated with the chi-square statistic of 10.323 is less than 0.05 indicating there is asignificant difference schools with access to the internet and the regions.

Furthermore, out of the 628 schools selected from the four regions, 29 schools representing about5 percent said they have solar panel. Of the 29 schools, the Northern region had the largest shareof 19 schools which represents 8 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region. On theother hand, the Upper East region had the least share of 1 school representing 1 percent of the 75schools selected from the region. The probability associated with the chi-square statistic of11.185 is less than 0.05 indicating there is a significant difference between whether or not basicschools have a generator and the region in which they are located.

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Also, the study did not find any significant difference between the regions in the followinginfrastructure; local area network, telephone communication facility, websites, generator, ICTsupport services, internet assisted instruction, open educational resources and television assistedinstruction. In fact, about 85 percent of all the schools across the four regions do not have accessto the above mentioned infrastructure put together. For instance, the study shows that out of the628 schools in the four regions, 11 schools representing about 2 percent said they have internetassisted instruction (IAI) (skype). Of the 11 schools, the Volta region had the largest share of 8schools which represents 3 percent of the 232 schools selected from the region, whiles the UpperWest region had no school with internet assisted instruction (IAI) (skype). The figure alsoindicates that out of the 628 schools of the four regions, 5 schools representing about 1 percentsaid they have open educational resources (OER) e-library. Of the 5 schools, the Northern regionhad the largest share of 3 schools which represents 1 percent of the 232 schools selected from theregion, whiles the Upper East region had no school with open educational resources (OER) e-library.

ChallengesThe following are some of the challenges hindering the ICT policy implementation

InfrastructureThe underdeveloped nature of the physical infrastructure together with poor and limitedcommunications infrastructure in the country negatively affect ICT deployment and developmentin schools. Many schools complained about poor power and transport services and poortelecommunications services. Not all schools in the four regions enjoy regular supply ofelectricity with majority of the schools lacking power.

ICT tools such as laptop and desktop computers (4403), projectors (84), etc are woefulinadequate. Similarly, many schools lack computer laboratories for performing ICT training andlearning. The absence of computer laboratories does not encourage further research into modernICT in many schools. Some schools do not even have a single computer. Other schoolscomplained about high maintenance cost for computers with many of the school level ICT toolslacking educational and interactive softwares for use by learners and teachers. Lack of online andopen-learning resources due to absence and poor internet services as well as lack of funds to payfor subscription of educative online programmes for many schools.

There is poor monitoring and supervision on the part of the Ministry of Education. This iscommonly blamed on lack of funds, vehicles and other logistics.

Challenges in acquiring ICT tools Inadequate finance to buy ICT tools for the schools The acquisition of educational software, operating system and antivirus constitute a major

challenge for some schools High cost of internet facilities, making it difficult for schools, offices and teachers to have

uninterrupted access to internet and online learning resources

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Challenges in using ICT tools Many teachers and pupils lack the confidence to use ICT. Lack of qualified personnel to handle ICT in the schools The technical know-how and capacities of teachers to use ICT for teaching and research

is poor.

Other challenges There is high theft of computers especially in schools that do not have computer

laboratories Lack of harmonization of efforts by all ICT related NGOs in the delivery of ICT tools to

schools in order to avoid duplication of efforts. Many heads and directors complained that they have never laid their hands on the policy

document and are therefore not very conversant with its content. Those who have seenand read the policy document described it as too general and difficult to be interpretedand implemented. The policy document lacks specifics in terms of what needs to be donein schools in particular and at the Ghana Education Service as a whole.

ConclusionsHalf of all teachers at JHS are professional whiles 49.9% of teachers are professional at theprimary showing no significant difference between primary and JHS. The enrolment of pupilshows that girls are more in primary school level (average = 165) than boys (average 92). Thegeneral observation has shown that the ICT4AD policy has not been adequately implemented.This is because some of the schools in the study area do not have ICT tools and equipment andthe few schools with ICT tools and equipment complained of inadequacy because the tools donot meet the needs of both staff and pupils to enhance teaching and learning. There are more ICTtools and equipment at the JHS level compared to primary school level. This is contrary to ourexpectation because experience has shown that pupils learn better at the tender age than theiryouthful/adult age. The policy has not achieved much in terms of making available computers toschools. There are relatively low computers at the primary school relative to the JHS. In terms ofschool category, the JHS level has more percentage of computers (10%) compared with primaryschool (4%) for administrative purposes. The low level of ICT tools for administrative reasonsslows down ICT communication between schools and the outside world. Specifically, it affectsdecision making and implementation of education related activities at schools and contributes tohigh ICT illiteracy rate.

The number of computers available for pedagogical use is high (79%) at the JHS compared to21% at the primary school level. However, despite increase availability of ICT tools such ascomputers the ability to use them to teach and research in both primary and JHS and bymale and female teachers is weak. Only about half of the number of teachers uses computers toaid teaching. About 27% schools have ICT policy. Aside government, some CSOs such asSavana Signatures, World Vision, EDUCANT, Discovery Learning Alliance (DLA) andmultilateral organizations such as UNICEF have been instrumental in the provision of ICT toolsand equipment to schools as well as building the capacity of teachers and pupils. All the efforts

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or contributions of these CSOs are geared towards the realisation of the ICT policy. However,there is still the need for more to be done by way of collaboration in order to reduce hightransaction cost and duplication of activities.

The number of computers available for pedagogical use is high (79%) at the JHS compared to21% at the primary school level. The use of computer programmes is higher at the JHS than theprimary school level. This is probably due to the provision of ICT tools and equipment to theJHS level, the provision of capacity building to more JHS teachers and also the less interest ofprimary school teachers to use ICT to teach and/or deliver lessons.

The ICT Policy in Education stresses the need for a balance in terms of ICT tools usage inschools. The study found that there is a difference between male and female teachers on the useof ICT to prepare lesson, enrich lessons and deliver lessons. For the use of ICT tools to enrichlessons, there is no significant difference between male and female teachers. For instance, 36percent and 35 percent of male and female teachers respectively use ICT tools to occasionallyprepare or enrich lessons. However, for lesson delivery, the use of ICT tools is high amongfemale teachers (11 percent) compared with male teachers (9 percent). There is a differencebetween male and female teachers in the use of ICT tools for teaching. There is still a gapbetween male and female teachers in terms of ICT tools application for teaching and research.There is no significant difference between male teachers in primary school and JHS use of ICTtools for teaching. The results show that about 50% of male teachers in both primary and JHSuse ICT tools for teaching. There are more male teachers in the JHS level who use ICT tools forresearch than the primary school level male teachers. About 50 percent of female teachers inprimary and JHS level use ICT tools for research.

Investment in ICT infrastructure has not been even across the four regions, and between districtswithin the same region. Fifty eight percent of all schools have electricity. The rest have poor orno power. In terms of distribution of ICT facilities between primary school and JHS, there aremore primary schools with generators, solar panel, internet assisted instruction, open educationalresource and television assisted instructions. This is because most of the primary schools acrossthe four regions have NGOs supporting them with e-readers, 24'' coloured flat screen to aidteaching and learning. However, the JHS have more local area network, telephonecommunication facilities, access to the internet, educational software and electricity than theprimary school level.

The underdeveloped nature of the physical infrastructure together with poor and limitedcommunications infrastructure in the country negatively affect ICT deployment and developmentin many schools. ICT tools such as computers, projectors, etc are woeful inadequate. Similarly,many schools lack computer laboratories for performing ICT training and learning. Many headsand directors complained that they have never laid their hands on the policy document and aretherefore not very conversant with its content. Those who have seen and read the policydocument described it as too general and difficult to be interpreted and implemented. The policydocument lacks specifics in terms of what needs to be done in schools in particular and at theGhana Education Service as a whole.

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RecommendationsRatios of number of ICT tools like computers for pedagogical purposes are woefully inadequateat both Primary and JHS levels. The inadequacy negatively affects the learning of ICT in schoolsbecause many pupils are denied its use for learning. There is therefore the need to work towardsproviding more computers to the schools to enhance teaching and learning.

The understanding of the ICT in Education Policy by key stakeholders like GES Directorate andteachers is low and needs to be strengthened. To achieve this, there is an urgent need to organizestakeholder sensitization meetings and workshops for capacity strengthening for GES Directorateand teachers in various districts. Government and CSOs should be willing to provide the neededresources to implement the policy effectively. Civil Society Organizations should consciouslyadvocate for the effective implementation of the policy. Further, there is the need forcollaboration between the government and CSOs in the implementation process to enhanceaccountability and quality delivery.

There is the need to facilitate the provision of more copies of the ICT in Education Policyavailable to all schools in the various districts. This should be followed by conscious efforts totrain all teachers at the basic school level on ICT. The training should be tailored towardsdeepening the understanding of key stakeholders on the ICT in Education Policy and themodalities required to implement it. Thus, roles and responsibilities of key educationstakeholders should be highlighted during the training.

The availability of ICT tools such as computers is meaningless unless an enabling environment iscreated for its use. As such, there is the need to facilitate the expansion of physical infrastructureof Ghana, including those of power and transport. Emphasis should be on rural areas where mostschools lack the infrastructural development. More so, there is the need to facilitate thedevelopment, expansion and the modernization of the nation’s communications infrastructure toachieve universal service and access to basic and value-added telecommunications. Alternativepower source e.g., generators, solar panel, etc should be provided in all the schools.

Similarly, there is the need for the provision of internet services to schools. This will enableteachers to do more research to enhance quality teaching as well as enable pupils to access onlinelearning materials. More sensitization programmes should be introduced to educate and exposepeople to the available information sources and learning resources. Learning materials like booksshould be made available on handheld devices for school children, teachers and educationofficers. Each school should have a computer laboratory for effective learning of ICT.

There is the need to strengthen the capacity of teachers at the primary school level to enhancequality teaching and learning. This can be achieved through the provision of more ICT tools suchas computers (and accessories) and mobile phones as well as capacity training workshop forteachers. More capacity building in ICT for teachers and education managers especially forcircuit supervisors (CSs) is needed because they (CSs) do more of the monitoring and reporting.More ICT tools and its accessories support should be given to the schools and teachers. ICT tools

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at the regional and district GES directorates should be provided. Providing the inspectoratedivision of the GES in the districts with computers and their accessories to enhance supervisionis recommended. Similarly, there is the need to establish a ICT tools monitoring system to ensureeffective distribution, maintenance and use of ICT tools in schools and at GES Directorate.

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References

Government of Ghana (2008). ICT in education policy. Volume 2, Strategies and workprogramme.

Government of Ghana (2010). Education strategic plan 2010 to 2020. Volume 1, Policies,strategies, delivery and finance.

Government of Ghana (2010). Education strategic plan 2010 to 2020. Volume 2, Strategies andwork programme.

Krejcie, R.V. & Morgan, D.W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities.Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607-610.

Republic of Ghana. 2013. The Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy.

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