Education Leaders' Utilization of Information and Communication Technology for Development in Nigeria

Introduction

Nigeria is one of the most populous African countries and its influence spread well beyond sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the developmental challenges experienced within the country are not unconnected to the level of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage. There have been a number of studies on ICT in Nigeria, most of which have focused on importance of ICTs in various sectors such as ICT in Nigerian legal system, ICT in the health sector system among others (Adeyeye & Iweha, 2005; Bamodu, 2004; Idowu, Ogunbodede, & Idowu, 2003; Olatokun, 2006). If ICT are imperative for teachers as well as enhances the quality of education, as Kwache (2007) and Akpan (2008) argued, the question, therefore, arises on the role of educational leaders in the use of ICT. In other words, is there any role being played by educational leaders on ICT usage in primary and secondary schools? Information and communication technology are electronic resources or media that are used to disseminate, receive, store and retrieve information, educational and learning content irrespective location and time. These media resources are the facilitators of educational delivery in the 21^st century re-defining the specific of roles educational leaders especially in the primary and secondary levels of education.

Educational leadership is conceptualized in this paper as the involvement of school leaders and administrators in primary and secondary schools (Principals, Headmasters and Teachers) in facilitating relevant, timely, effective and equitable education. The position of educational leaders can be further seen in the context of local, national, and global changes and challenges of the 21st century. The role of educational leadership especially in primary and secondary schools have been modelled along seven critical roles, which are: facilitators of change, architects of school culture, leaders of learning, leaders for professional development, links to parents and communities, strategic communicators, and data-based decision makers (Alas, Tafel, & Tuulik, 2007; Bell & Chan, 2005; Bezzina, 2002; Deal & Peterson, 1999; English & Steffy, 2005; Fullan, 2001; Leithwood, 1996; National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2008; Normore, 2004; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2008). The indispensable role that ICT play in world is not limited to the economic sector, the field of education has also been affected by the penetrating influence of new ICT such as phones, email, and the World Wide Web. Apart from enhancing teaching and learning through its dynamic, interactive, and engaging content; ICT also provide real opportunities for individualized instruction (Yusuf, 2005) bringing about new modes of instructional delivery system and bridging digital divide. ICT can make schools more efficient and productive by providing opportunities to communicate through email, mailing lists, chat rooms, learning management systems and so on. ICT also offers faster and easier access to broader and current information, and it can be used to compute mathematical and statistical calculations (Kirschner & Woperies, 2003; Yusuf & Onasanya, 2004).