ICTs’ Role in Strengthening Administrative Management in Catholic Secondary Schools of South West Cameroon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4295Abstract
Information and Communication Technology use in schools has substantially influenced the efficiency and productivity of school administration. The study focused on how ICT strengthens administrative management in Catholic Secondary schools in the South West Region of Cameroon. The study employment convergent mixed method design and the target population was 22 schools, 22 principals, 22 school Bursars, 308 teachers, 1,440 students, and 756 parents are the number of CSS in the SWR of Cameroon A sample size of 264 comprising six principals, six school accountants, 60 teachers, 168 students, and 24 parents, was selected using stratified sampling, simple random sampling, purposive and snowball sampling. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. Delete a pilot test was conducted to validate the research tools and to test for reliability and validity tests. The study found out that ICT had dramatically facilitated communication, data recording and management, enhanced the quality of teaching and learning, supported curriculum planning, facilitated student assessments, facilitated budgeting, payroll preparation, and accounting processes in schools, and improved the accuracy and efficiency of financial tasks in schools. Despite this positive impact of ICT in schools, the study established challenges associated with the use of ICT that included; lack of ICT infrastructure, inadequate resources, lack of ICT policies, resistance to policies, electrical shortages, and lack of necessary skills and training to use ICT effectively. The study concludes that ICT improved administrative management in schools and recommended training programs for principals, teachers, school accountants, students, and parents on the use of ICT, improvement of infrastructure, increase of resources for ICT tools in schools, and enhanced utilization of ICT in teaching and learning.
Keywords: ICT, Administrative Management, Efficiency, Catholic Secondary Schools, South West Cameroon
References
Bariu, T. N. (2020). Status of ICT infrastructure used in teaching and learning in secondary schools in Meru County, Kenya. European Journal of Interactive Multimedia and Education, 1(1), e02002. https://doi.org/10.30935/ejimed/8283
Bates, T. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning. Tony Bates Associates Ltd.
Chen, L. (2022). The Impact of ICT on School Management: Enhancing Remote Learning and Creative Teaching. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 25(1), 45-58.
Chilufya, M. M. (2022). Understanding the sources, application, and enhancement of information communication and technology (ICT) application in the management of selected secondary schools in Lusaka district (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Zambia).
Creswell, J. W. (2023). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Etomes, S. E., & Molua, E. L. (2019). Strategies for Enhancing the Productivity of Secondary School Teachers in South West Region of Cameroon. Journal of Education and Learning, 8(1), 109-119. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v8n1p109
Fullan, M., & Langworthy, M. (2019). A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning. Pearson. London.
Håkansson Lindqvist, M. (2019). School leaders’ practices for innovative use of digital technologies in schools. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(3), 1226-1240. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12782
Isaacs, S., & Hollow, D. (2020). Challenges and opportunities for ICT in education in developing countries. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(5), 2347-2362.Jacob, O. N.,
Len, K. E., Fokong, N. H., & Colette, S. (2022). Teacher Factors and Implementation of ICT Curriculum in Some Public Primary Schools in Mezam Division, North West Region of Cameroon. American Journal of Online and Distance Learning, 4(1), 1-19.
Lutalo, F., & Bisaso, S. M. (2020). Information communication technology integration in school systems and management of secondary schools in Nakawa Division, Uganda. Islamic University Multidisciplinary Journal, 7(4), 136-149.
Martin, P. (2020). Challenges and Opportunities in Catholic School Leadership. Journal of Catholic Education, 73(2), 123-136.
Moore, E. A., & Johnson, P. M. (2020). Integrating ICT in school administration and management: Challenges and prospects. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(4), 567-583.
Nsangong, K., & Nganji, J. (2022). The Role of ICTs in Selected Secondary Schools in Fako Division, Cameroon. In Technology-Enabled Innovations in Education: Select Proceedings of CIIE 2020 (pp. 417-429). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3383-7_34
Ott, J. S., & Parkes, S. (2019). The Organizational Culture Perspective. London. Oxford University Press.
Patel, R. (2022). Utilizing Online Networks for School Resource Expansion: Strategies for School Managers. Educational Leadership Quarterly, 45(3), 278-291.
Perifanou, M. A., Economides, A., & Tzafilkou, K. (2021). Teachers’ digital skills readiness during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET). https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i08.21011
Qaddumi, H., Bartram, B., & Qashmar, A. L. (2021). Evaluating the impact of ICT on teaching and learning: A study of Palestinian students’ and teachers’ perceptions. Education and information technologies, 26(2), 1865-1876. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10339-5
Sheninger, E. (2021). Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms: Preparing Learners for Their Future. Corwin. Oaks, CA.
Smith, J., & Brown, A. (2019). Adapting Educational Management to the Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities. Educational Leadership Review, 42(3), 315-328.
Smith, J., & Johnson, A. (2020). The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on School Management: A Case Study in the United States. Journal of Educational Technology Research, 10(2), 123-136.
Szyszka, M., Tomczyk, Ł., & Kochanowicz, A. M. (2022). Digitalization of schools from the perspective of teachers’ opinions and experiences: The frequency of ICT uses in education, attitudes towards new media, and support from management. Sustainability, 14(14), 8339. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148339
Turnbull, D., Chugh, R., & Luck, J. (2020). Learning management systems, an overview. Encyclopedia of education and information technologies, 1052-1058. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10576-1_248
UNESCO. (2020). COVID-19: a global crisis for teaching and learning.
UNESCO. IIEP-UNESCO. (2024). ICT in education around the world: Trends, problems, and prospects. International Institute for Educational Planning. Retrieved from https://www.iiep.unesco.org/en/ict-education
UNESCO. (2023). Harnessing the Power of ICT in School Management. UNESCO.
Wemba, V. (2020). An appraisal of the use of education management information system (EMIS) and its effects in the effective management of secondary schools in the west region of Cameroon. International Journal of Education and Social Science Research, 3(03), 203-224. https://doi.org/10.37500/IJESSR.2020.30316
Wong, L. (2023). ICT Implementation in Educational Management: A Comprehensive Framework. International Journal of Educational Management, 37(3), 321-336.
Yin, R. K. (2022). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.
