ABSTRACT

Though it has been rightly said that what is wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology, there is no doubt that modern life is dominated by technology. There is universal recognition of the need to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education as we enter the era of globalization where the free flow of information via satellite and the internet hold sway in global information dissemination of knowledge. Already, Nigeria is on the wrong side of the international digital divide, as it has not made significant effort to integrate ICT into secondary school curriculum. A great deal of instructional and administrative work in secondary school in Nigeria is still carried out manually. This study therefore, investigated the appraisal of the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning in Umuahia South secondary schools of Abia State. The researcher adopted stratified random sampling technique to sample forty nine teachers from the seven selected schools Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State. The instrument used for the study was a questionnaire designed by the researcher for the forty nine teachers. The instrument was validated by two experts in the measurement and evaluation, including my supervisor. Five research questions guided the study. The data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and variance. The findings of this study shows that most ICT facilities were not available in the area, teachers and students are not exposed to the use of ICT gadgets and facilities, ICT deployment in teaching and learning is beneficial. The study also revealed that inadequate ICT facilities, lack of trained computer teachers, irregular power supply are among the challenges facing ICT deployment in schools. The strategies for improving teachers' adoption rate of ICTs in teaching and learning were also revealed, they include.: training and re-training of teachers on the use of ICT in teaching and learning, provision of adequate ICT facilities for teaching and learning, government should subsidize ICT gadgets and facilities, ICT enlightenment programmes should be organized regularly for teachers, government should make diploma in ICT compulsory for teachers. Based on the findings of the study some recommendations were made namely; provision of necessary ICT facilities for schools in the area, proper funding of schools in the area, employing trained computer teachers, provision of uninterrupted power supply.