Assessing the Extent of Digitalization in the Management of Education in Private and Public Secondary Schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

The study assessed the extent of digitalization in the management of education in private and public secondary schools in Port Harcourt metropolis of Rivers State. Descriptive survey design was adopted with two research questions and two hypotheses as research guides. The population of the study consisted of 4,500 teachers in government approved leading private secondary schools and public secondary schools in Port Harcourt metropolis. A sample of 280 private school teachers and 170 public school teachers constituting 10% of the population was drawn through proportionate stratified random sampling technique. A questionnaire instrument titled: “Assessment of Extent of Digitalization in Management of Education in Private and Public Secondary Schools in Port Harcourt metropolis (AEDMEPPS” developed by the researcher was used for data collection. The instrument which contained 20 items was well validated and tested for reliability using Cronbach Alfa method with a reliability index of 0.81. Mean standard deviation were used to analyze the research questions while z-test at 0.05 level of significance was used in testing the hypotheses. The results of the study showed that, the extent of digitalization in the management of education in the leading private secondary schools in Port Harcourt metropolis is high, while that of public secondary schools is low. The challenges of digitalization in the management of secondary education in Port Harcourt metropolis among others include: inadequate provision of ICT/digital facilities and high cost of maintenance of ICT/digital facilities. Based on the findings conclusion was drawn and the following recommendations among others were made: secondary education regulatory bodies, stakeholders and owners of private secondary schools in Port Harcourt metropolis should ensure adequate provision of ICT/digital facilities and the maintenance of minimum standards in the use of these facilities for quality education delivery.