EFFECT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF TERTIARY ACADEMIC ESTABLISHMENTS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

The study examined the Impact of Information and Communication Technology on the Management of Tertiary Academic Institutions in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was set to examine the impact of Information and Communication Technology on record keeping, communication, monitoring and evaluation, staff development, maintenance of discipline, decision making process, maintenance of facilities, conducts of examinations and presentation of results in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State. Survey research method using questionnaire was adopted for the data gathering. The research sample consisted of Deans of faculty/School Directors, Heads of Departments, Directors of Management Information Service, Staff of Faculty/School, and total (100) respondents from the four selected tertiary institutions in Kaduna state. Purposive sampling method was used in selecting the respondents. Data collected were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and Likert scale. Findings from the study revealed that ICTs such as computers perform the role of aiding school administration and data management in the area of record keeping and retrieval with a mean of 3.91. However, respondents disagreed that through Circuit Camera Television (CCTV), the management of Tertiary Institutions in Kaduna State monitored and evaluated staff in the discharge of their duties with mean score of 2.05 which means that the management of the four selected tertiary institutions did not ensure ICT compliance in monitoring and evaluation.  However, the result also revealed respondents disagreed that through Elearning platform, the management of this institutions developed staff capacity with mean score of 2.97. They also disagreed that through ICT facilities management encouraged the use of ICT support services for orientation of newly employed staff in the institutions with mean score of 2.94. This means that management are yet to utilize the potentials of ICT for staff development purpose.  Eight null hypotheses were tested, out of which three (3) were retained while five (5) rejected. The study  concludes, based on the hypotheses tested, that ICT has great impact on the smooth running of the tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State in respect of  record keeping and retrieval, communication and staff development. The study recommends that the management should ensure ICT compliance to both academic and non-academic staff and students‟ for quality assurance of the tertiary institutions. Also, the management should encourage the application of ICT (such as computer) in examination conduct, script marking and result to be released on-line. This will ensure timely release of students‟ result and storage of data as well as ease staff work load.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

It is observed that more and more organizations in Nigeria are shifting towards ICT driven systems to enhance its effectiveness and competitiveness, such as computer education. Computers are device capable for data storage and processing. Computer technology are being used for financial, sending and receiving, emailing etc; however, almost every management activity in our tertiary institutions requires computer technology, that is why computer education becomes imperative in management of tertiary institutions. Ogunkola, (2008) opined that without computer education one cannot be able to make progress as far as his career options are concerned except it is matched with knowledge of computer technology. He further noted that ICT tool to be used in management and administration of institutions is the computer, together with basic software packages like MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or the equivalent open source packages, and access to email and the internet. Computer has been described as an automatic electronic machine that performs calculation. It is capable of accepting data, and performing operation according to instruction (programme), and providing result of the operation with great speed and accuracy.

Management is the effective allocation and utilization of scarce resources to achieve predetermined results, the scarce resources include people, money, materials and time. Adejumo, (2000) described management as involving planning and innovation, coordination and supervision as well as undertaking risks and handling uncertainty. He argued that management is the activity of working with people in organizations in accomplishing results.

Therefore, management of tertiary institutions entails ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the use of the available human, physical and financial resources together with the ability to combat any constraints that might hamper the achievement of the objectives in which computer education can aid in achieving the goal of institutional management.

Tertiary institutions are also known as higher education, in Nigeria it is that level of educational institution that provides education to individuals after post secondary education.  National policy on education (2004) defines tertiary institution as the education given after secondary education in universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, and Mono technics including those institutions offering correspondence courses. Tertiary institutions have been described as parastatals which award professional and non-professional certificates. They are involved in providing higher education opportunities.

Following series of complaints because of highly populated institutions with limited admission opportunities, in this present dispensation, individuals and organizations have been given the go-ahead to establish private tertiary institutions provided they comply with the standards. One is, therefore, not surprised that tertiary institutions have proliferated the country with 117 universities, 64 colleges of education and 43 Polytechnics as at 2011. The increase number of staff and students in our tertiary institutions in Nigeria calls for the provision of ICT facilities for record purposes. Okoli (2007, p. 524) classifies university records into two broad categories, namely management and administrative records. Management records are generated at the top management level (vice chancellor, deputies, bursar, librarian, and registrar) in the form of meeting records, procedures, decisions and resolutions. On the other hand, administrative records take the form of admission records, personnel records (employment, leave and duty records), and physical resource records. Note that the growing complexities of universities in Nigeria and the challenges pose to management affirmed the application of Hi-Tech information technology‟s crucial for quality assurance (Okorie, Agabi & Uche, 2005).

Various studies revealed that using ICT will promote issues on students‟

admission, planning and computation of students‟ results, staff development, record keeping, communication, quality assurance and staffing, financial management and information dissemination will increase the efficiency of tertiary institutions if Information Communication and Technology facilities are adequately and properly utilized, Lawsent and Vincent-Loncrin (1995); Foray (2004); Omirin, (2007). Thus, in developing countries including Nigeria, the argument is no longer whether or not tertiary institutions should invest in ICT (OECD, 2005).

Going by the institutional objectives, with man power shortage to properly

handle students records and ICT facilities in Nigeria tertiary institutions, it is therefore paramount to assess the impact of ICT in the tertiary institutions in the area of data management and information dissemination.

1.2    Statement of the Problem

There is increase in student‟s population in higher institutions which accelerated the need for ICTs to process, store and retrieve data in a fast, systemic and accurate fashion. The importance of e-administration in higher education is on the increase due to efficient electronic administration and handling of existing resources economically. The introduction of ICT in our educational sector aims at simplification of a lot of diversified management and administrative tasks. According to Sanat (2006), the use of ICT in higher educational institutions starts with the stages of receiving e-notifications regarding admission, course schedules, and billing procedures and continues till the end of the course including online publication of results. The Action Plan for reforms in the field of higher education revealed that the potential of Information Communication Technology (ICT) should be fully utilized (UNESCO 1998).

The main functional areas of e-administration in tertiary institutions are; Management Information System (MIS) which is a necessity in university

administration, since it is required for need assessment, logistics and planning, resources utilization, operational control and management or evaluation of results, the second is financial management.

Therefore, ICT is supposed to be an integral part of the management process and its potential capacity in university administration will go a long way in ensuring institutional effectiveness. Computer-based MIS in the universities is used for the process of mechanized analysis, updating, storage, display and retrieval of sets of information, particularly those connected with the management and operational sides of administrative decisions. With all the mentioned potential of ICT most Nigerian tertiary institutions are yet to fully adapt to the use of ICT in the management of their

institutions.

However, there are still missing data‟s and results here and there due to inadequate record keeping; wastage of human material and time due to inadequate communication network; also lack of staff development and constraints of man power shortage to handle ICT facilities.

With respect to these problems, the study is interested in identifying the level of ICT impact and its contributions to the management of tertiary institutions in Kaduna state, Nigeria.

 

 

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to examine the impact of computer education on the management of tertiary institutions in Kaduna state.

The specific objectives therefore, were to:

1. ascertain the impact of ICT on record keeping in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State;
2. identify the impact of ICT on communication in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State;
3. ascertain the impact of ICT on monitoring and evaluation in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State;
4. find out the impact of ICT on staff development in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State;
5. examine the impact of ICT on maintenance of discipline in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State;
6. determine the impact of ICT on decision making process by the management of tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State;
7. assess the impact of ICT on maintenance of facilities in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State, and
8. find out the impact of ICT on the conduct of examinations and presentation of results in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State.

1.4 The Research Questions

The specific research questions are:

1. What is the impact of ICT on record keeping in tertiary academic institutions in

Kaduna State?

2. In what way does ICT impact on communication in tertiary academic

institutions in Kaduna State?

3. How does ICT impact on monitoring and evaluation in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State?
4. What is the impact of ICT on staff development in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State?
5. In what way does ICT impact on maintenance of discipline on management of tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State?
6. What is the impact of ICT on decision making process of tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State?
7. How does ICT impact on maintenance of facilities of tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State?
8. In what way does ICT impact on conduct of examinations and presentation of results in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

On the basis of the research questions asked the following null hypotheses were formulated for the study;

HO₁. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on impact of  ICT  on Record Keeping in tertiary academic institutions of Kaduna State. HO₂. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the impact of  ICT on communication in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna State.

HO₃. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the impact of  ICT  on monitoring and evaluation in tertiary academic institutions in  Kaduna State.

HO₄. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the impact of  ICT on staff development of tertiary academic institutions of Kaduna State.

HO₅. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the impact of  ICT on Maintenance of Discipline in tertiary academic institutions in  Kaduna State.

HO₆. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the impact of  ICT on decision making process in tertiary academic institutions in Kaduna    State.    

HO₇. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the impact of  ICT on maintenance of facilities in academic tertiary institutions in Kaduna

State.

HO₈. There is no significant difference in the opinions of respondents on the impact of  ICT in conduct of examinations and presentation of results in tertiary academic  institutions in Kaduna State.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study revealed the relevance of information and communication technology particularly as it relates to management of tertiary institutions. Similarly, the outcome of the study is expected to assist management of tertiary institutions in their decisions towards Information and Communication Technology. The research is of benefit to researchers who are expected to acquaint themselves with this research and source out knowledge that can be of benefit to their research. The outcome also revealed how Information and Communication Technology can be improved in management of

tertiary institutions as such it can be a useful source of literature review.

The results, conclusions and recommendations of this study are useful to tertiary institutions when using the computer for managerial activities to set up guides based on their needs for use of emerging information technologies. Similarly, the study will help fill the gap discovered in the empirical studies on the use of ICT on management of tertiary institutions in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Findings are expected to provide feedback on the areas of ICT usage which management staff can engage in for speeding managerial activities as well as suggested various computer facilities to engage other stakeholders, government agencies and foreign bodies. In addition, the result of this study is beneficial to National Universities Commission (NUC).

1.7 Basic Assumptions

For the purpose of this study, the following basic assumptions were made:

1. Proper record keeping in tertiary institution could improve staff turn over; the world has become a global village where information is at the punch of a button;
2. Good communication network will breach information gab between and among management, staff and students in tertiary institutions;
3. ICT utilization will ease problem of monitoring and evaluation in tertiary institutions in Kaduna state;
4. Application of ICT will improve on staff development;
5. Application of ICT in learning will improve student academics

discipline;

6. It is hope that application of ICT will enhance decision making process;
7. Effective application of ICT in tertiary institution will help in maintaining facilities; and
8. It is hoped that ICT will help in administrative services such as admission, registration, and payment of fees, student‟s records, staff development,

community development and a host of others.

1.7 Scope  of the Study

 

The scope of the study determined the extent of ICT usage for managerial activities in academic tertiary institutions in Kaduna state. The research work did not cover all the tertiary institutions in Kaduna state but only the universities, colleges of education and polytechnics as selected by the researcher.

EFFECT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF TERTIARY ACADEMIC ESTABLISHMENTS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA.

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