STRATEGIES RECOMMENDED BY EXPERTS FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPUTE

Abstract

The need to equip Nigerian youths with ICT skills has been widely acknowledged by researchers and the government as a prerequisite for national development.
Governments at federal, state and local levels have responded to this need with the ICT policy and inclusion of computer education in secondary schools curriculum but research reports indicate that the implementation over the years are slow and ineffective. This study, therefore, surveyed 50 computer science lecturers in seven tertiary institutions in Anambra State to ascertain their recommended strategies for effective implementation of computer education program in Nigerian secondary schools. Three research questions and three hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. A validated questionnaire was used for data collection while mean and t-test statistics were used for data analysis to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that the experts recommended thirteen school/teacher related, ten student/parent related and eleven government/supervisory agency related strategies for effective implementation of computer education program in Nigerian secondary schools. Consequently, it was concluded that the involvement of schools, teachers, students, parents and other agencies are very essential in the project. It was recommended, among others, that government should consider the recommended strategies and clearly specify the roles of the school leadership, teachers, students, parents and even communities, industries, Churches, etc., in secondary school computer education to ensure that the program is effectively implemented.