The Quality of Education in Africa: The Role of ICTs in Teaching

• Published in: International review of education 2007-11, Vol.53 (5-6), p.665-686
• Main Authors: Karsenti, Thierry, Ngamo, Salomon Tchameni
• Format: Article
• Language: fre
• Subjects: Africa; Education; Information technology; Schools; Teaching
• ISSN: 0020-8566
• DOI: 10.1007/s11159-007-9067-7

This article reports on the presence of ICT in educational institutions, presents an overview of the types of ICT uses found in African schools, & explores the relations between ICT use & the quality of education. Data were obtained from a transnational research project (Projet des ecoles pionnieres- TIC en Afrique/Pioneer ICT- Schools Project in Africa) funded by the International Research Development Centre (IDRC) of Canada. A total of 68,662 students, 2,627 teachers, 217 school administrators, & 428 additional education stakeholders in West & Central Africa participated in the study. The results show multiple uses of ICT in the participating schools, albeit centered on teaching ICT basic skills. A biaxial model with four quadrants is used to visualize the range of ICT usages in the schools. The analysis reveals a limited pedagogical use of ICT to teach academic subjects in most of the schools. Approximately 80% of the reported uses involved teaching ICT basic skills, while barely 17% involved subject- specific ICT integration for teaching & learning purposes. Tables, Figures, References. Adapted from the source document.