The Role and Use of ICT in Administrative Activities in Higher Education Institutions: The Views of Administrators in Higher Educational Institutions in Ghana
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Abstract
With the ongoing reforms in the Ghanaian education system, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is increasingly being promoted to improve quality education. It has become apparent that reform in higher education cannot succeed effectively without paying attention to ICTs, particularly applications in education management and administration and having access to knowledge in support of teaching, research, and lifelong learning (Adam,2003). In order to promote the usage of ICT in teaching and learning, it is important that administrators are committed to supporting its use as well as use it themselves. Since the 21st century has witnessed rapid advancements in technology leading to far-reaching developments in the administrative system (Meenakumari & Krishnaveni 2011), recognising the importance of ICT by administrators is critical to promoting its use by all stakeholders in the education system. This study used an exploratory approach to find out the perceptions of administrators in higher education institutions (HEIs) to the role and importance they attach to the use of ICT for administrative activities. Four HEIs were randomly selected and 18 administrators selected using purposive sampling were interviewed. The findings revealed that the use of ICT has fundamentally changed the majority of administrative practices and procedures. The administrators agreed that technology is an essential part of their work that it played a critical role in impacting positively on the quality of administrators work. It was recommended that HEIs need to continually create the awareness of the benefits of ICT use, adopt strategic plans committed to ICT integration, provide adequate training based on identified needs as well as provide the needed ICT tools and facilities.