The role of computer technology on principals' administration in secondary schools in Homa-bay district, kenya

Abstract

The study was an attempt to establish the role of computer technology on principals' administration. in secondary schools in Homa-Bay District. The study set out to determine the extent the principals use computer technology in their administrative tasks. Secondly,. the study determined the tasks that secondary school principals do with the aid of computer technology. Thirdly, the study determined the computei' software that the secondary school principals use in administration of their schools. Fourthly, the study sought to establish the extent to which principals' gender and number of years as principal have any effect on how principals perceive the use of computer technology on school administration. Finally, the study aimed at finding out the level of awareness on the use of computer as a suitable tool for administration purposes. The researcher explored the role of computer technology on principal's administration in secondary sc!loo~ through quantitative and qualitative methods. The infonnation was gathered ~ the use of questionnaire, interview schedule, and a checklist. The findings of the study indicated that many secondary school do not have computers hence many principals do not access computer in their offices. It also revealed those schools with computers have kept them in store for there was no electricity power supply to ron them. Further revelation was that majority of principals had little computer literacy and were rarely using a computer in their school administration.

The recommendations made were that: All schools especially administrative offices are equipped with computers. 1be government should facilitate rural electrification to target the secondary schools to enable introduction of the technology and implementation be achieved. Teacher Training Institutions should use the findings to evaluate how teacher trainees could be prepared to be future computer literate school administrators. Ministry of Education could use the findings to develop a policy guideline on the use of computer in school management. Lastly ~ Principals were to be provided with professional opportunities in areas of computer technology through regular courses, workshops and seminars to sharpen their knowledge and skills on computer . technology. The suggestions for further research were that: A study on role of computer technology on general school administration including other administrative offices such as accounts office, stores and relevant others should be done. A study on computer installation expenditures and its usage demand needs to be done. a similar research should be carried out in other rural areas to enable comparison of the facts.