ABSTRACT

Information technology is the use of computer and other telecommunication device in processing data. It is also a systematic method of applying scientific knowledge to problem solving. This project considers the evaluation of information technology usage in secondary schools. With the use of information technology equipment in secondary schools, students academic progress can be monitored from stage to stge. Selected schools in Edo state were used as test case for the empirical study.

CHAPTER ONE

Information Technology is the use of computer and other telecommunication devices in the processing of data. Is also a systematic method of applying scientific knowledge to problem solving. With the use of information technology equipment I secondary schools, students academic progress can be monitored from stage to stage. When students are faced with academic problem, the school authority can easily identify the and adequately address the problem.

New application are developed which in turn create new opportunity for use in classrooms. One example of this is the fact that the internet and its uses and possible consequences in school hardly get mentioned.

The real upswing for the internet did not start until 1994, and the number of secondary school now online is still very small. But one thing is certain. The number of classroom connected to the internet will increase.

For a long time, the discussion was all about computer but the combination of telecommunication and information processing machines that are now developing before our very eyes has created a new concept, called information technology.( or IT). This term in English is ambiguous, since “technology’ can both mean the study of techniques and technique it self. Information has always been a major part of every organisation, for decision making and policy formulation. Now, its volume is rapidly escalating as today’s environment continues to be more complex. And dynamic and the challenges of its uses and manipulation of secondary schools in particular most collect, and use huge amount of information to meet the academic demand of the students.

1.2Background of the Study

The federal republic of Nigeria has no specific policy for ICT in education. The ministry of education created its ICT department in February 2007 not withstanding, several government policies and other stakeholders in private sectors have initiated ICT driven project and program to impact on all level of the educational sector.

The national council of education coordinates planning, policy and finance for the educational sector under the federal government the council consists of the commissioners and minister of education. And the joint consultative committee. On education. Education administration responsibility is shared with the federal government across the federation. By the different administrative structure as follows

Primary level: local government

Secondary level: state government

Tertiary/university level: federal government

Federal ministry of education employs several organs for its standard maintenance. Role in specialized aspect of education. These include:

Federal inspectoral services.

The educational research and development council

The science equipment centre

The school broadcasting unit

Primary and secondary education are both six year and tertiary education may take one to four years depending on the qualification sought. The nine tears compulsory education is a combination of primary education of six and three years of junior secondary school education.

School net Nigeria (http://schoolnet Africa.net./443.0.html) is a non profit organization created to address the use of ICT in Nigerian secondary schools With the support of several government ministries. It is public sector initiative. Geared at mobilizing Nigeria humans and financial resources for the purpose of using ICTs in education. School net creates learning communities of educators and learner to use ICT to enhance education by:

Implementing supporting and coordinating ICT development project in education.

Providing and supporting lower cost scalable technology solution and internet for schools.

Providing support from schools for technical infrastructure and connectivity.

School net Nigeria has, in collaboration with the mobile phone operator, MTN, established ICT laboratories/cyber cafes for four schools in four states in each of a four phase project using local ISPs. School net has yet to embark on the project.

Similarly, school net Nigeria in collaboration with Computer Company busy net, is setting up ICT laboratory/cyber café in four schools in 12 states.

Another initiative by Zinox computers, a private computer company in collaboration with Microsoft, is set to revolutionize ICT usage in education from the primary to the university level.

Zinox strategy is targeted by students, lecturers and institution themselves. The company provided the computer at highly discounted price and hope with government support to achieve 75% ICT application in Nigeria schools in 2010. First bank of Nigeria is bank rolling the project. ICT labs are set up for schools that repay in two to three years lecturer repays the cost of their laptop in one year.

The ICT revolution has also registered corporate backing not only with computer company like Zinox, but also with the banks. Over 80 schools have benefited from the zenith bank. ICT for youth empowerment scheme. The scheme focuses on assisting Nigeria youth to bridge the digital divide through early introduction to ICT each school receive a minimum of te computes.

To encourage the use of ICT the bank organized a annual ICT empowerment forum for youth that attracts about 200 secondary and tertiary level students. The bank distributed 100 personal assistants (PDAs) to the first 100 students to arrive at the venue in 2006.

1.3Problem of the Study

The problem is most schools in Edo state probably have some of this information technology equipment of agers of which not all of them can be used within the latest field of application, this is a situation that secondary schools have lived with until technological development in secondary schools to take a new turn. Such of those turn could be an even higher degree of users’ friendliness.

In addition to that there is also problem of computing salary. The salary of teachers is not always prepared on time due to the manual system of operation.

It is a truism that money tends to be the greatest motivation on earth. A teacher who teaches and at month end did not get salary on time, might loose interest in his or her job. He or she might start coming late top school trying other means to get money. Like selling clothes during school hours. More over, some teachers are not well equipped for the subject they handle.

A graduate from computer science department that is made to teach government cannot cope because he is short of ideas on that subject and as such cannot impact much into his students thereby making the student not to know much about his field of study.

Besides if a student travels out of school and misses what have been taught in class, how is he going to understand that which has been taught? But with the use of VSAT and other telecommunication facilities, student will learn faster. And this can be done in form of online learning.

It is pertinent to think of alternative of processing and storing information. In secondary school in view of the above stated problem.

1.4Objective of the Study

iTo present a state of to art study of the impact of ICT in secondary schools.

iiFurthermore, to determine the role of the teacher and students and 

how it has been affected with the use of information technology.

iiiin addition, to determine the effects ICT have on the students learning and learning strategies.

ivmoreover to create awareness among students and teachers, the importance of information technology and the use of in computing academic report.

1.5Significant of the Study

This subject is of great importance because of the frequent problems that are experienced in the manual handling of information in secondary schools in Edo state. It generally delays the preparation and computation of student’s reports. With the introduction of information technology, in secondary schools, the change in. schools are going to be enormous. Information and technology will not only changer the system of computing, result it will change. What is taught and where it is taught. On the whole, the school as an organization workplace will change students will be expected to work more on their own party through information retrieval and party with the aid of computer education programs.

The project is also of great importance in showing the role of the teacher and students and how information and technology has affected both (teachers and students). Besides the project is of great importance to determine what effect the technology has on the students’ learning and learning strategies.

1.6Scope of the Study

The project will cover the academic information of the students in secondary schools in Edo state. This information bothers on the use of information and commutation technology equipment in secondary schools to manipulate the academic report of the students. It will also forces on the online learning and how it affects the teachers and the students.

1.7Methodologies

Two separate research process will be implemented: a questionnaire and an interview to study the despondence individual learning experience. The first will use hard copy survey instrument for selecting quantitative data on practical interaction of e-learning implementation. The second involves interviewing a sample group of academic staff and student in secondary school in Benin city, to obtain qualitative data on their own e-learning and ICT related experience as well as their own understanding of factors contributing to it.