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The Role of One Laptop Per Child Project in Academic Performance in Primary Schools International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-3, Issue-6, Jun.-2017 http://iraj.in THE ROLE OF ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD PROJECT IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS 1MUNYANTORE.J.D, 2MBALIRE.M. St. Lawrence University (SLAU) E-mail:[email protected], [email protected] Abstract - This study titled one laptop per child project and academic performance in primary school was carried out in Gatsibo District primary school. The general objective of this study was to examine the role of OLPC project to academic performance. This study was designed under descriptive-analytical design; where both qualitative and quantitative research was used through descriptive and correlational statistics. The target population was5 heads teachers and 105 teachers from 5 primary schools in Gatsibo District. The sample size of the study was 86 respondents obtained using Yamane formula. The purposive sampling technique was used in this study. Data was collected through Questionnaire, interview and group discussion. Statistical indicators like frequencies and percentages were used in this study. To test the relationship of the variables, Pearson correlation coefficient was applied, this research used SPSS version 16 to analyze data. The study found that the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) equals to 0.935 this implies that correlation coefficient r = .942. The study recommended that Government should ensure the provision of adequate educational facilities accessible even to students from poor family. Key words- One Laptop Per Child , Academic Performance, Primary school I. INTRODUCTION knowledge-based economy. Rwanda is a small, landlocked country in Central/ East Africa. It is one All over the world, over the last three decades, the of the few OLPC deployment sites designated as a role of technology in education reform has received model site, and it hosts a Global Learning Center for increasing attention. The recent advances in Excellence for Laptops and Learning1 in the capital, information and communication technologies and Kigali (ITU-D, 2010). As a global learning center, their relative affordability continue to stoke the flame Rwanda is slated to be one of the leading countries to of technology-enabled education reforms. implement the laptops on a wide scale (Kwizera, Particularly, the laptop computer as a tool or means 2009). of education reform has generated a lot of debate [1]. The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program was one In order to achieve the goals defined by VISION of the most ambitious educational reform initiatives 2020, the Rwandan government established an the world has ever seen. The program has developed Economic Development and Poverty Reduction a radically new low-cost laptop computer and Strategy. The EDPRS recognizes the key role that aggressively promoted its plans to put the computer education can play in improving social and economic in the hands of hundreds of millions of children wellbeing and in reducing poverty. Only a well- around the world, including in the most impoverished educated workforce with the necessary skills to nations. With six years having passed since Nicholas operate in a rapidly changing business environment Negroponte first unveiled the idea, this paper will allow Rwanda to become the competitive and appraises the program’s progress and impact and, in diversified economy it aspires to be [2]. The so doing, takes a fresh look at OLPC’s assumptions Economic Development and poverty reduction [2]. strategy’s high-level objectives for education are to improve and increase access to education for all; The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project was an provide performance education at all levels; establish initiative that seeks to expand the use of computer equity in education at all levels; develop effective and technology, especially for school children, from the efficient education systems; promote science and richer and industrial areas of the world, to the poorer technology and ICT in education; and promote and more rural areas. Not only does the OLPC project positive values, critical thinking, Rwandan culture, seek to narrow the “digital divide”, the project also peace, unity and reconciliation [3]. seeks to improve educational opportunities for under- privileged children overall, by providing resources This study was limited in the time, geographical and for these kids to be proactive and engaged in their content scope. This topic considered a period scope in own learning, through use of an internet-connected 4 years, 2011-2014, this period is selected because of laptop. the availability of the information that showed low Rwanda, a small landlocked country in East Africa, performance of Kamonyi primary school in this was in the midst of a multi-year effort to transform period, geographical it was conducted at Kamonyi itself from subsistence agrarian society into a primary school, Kamonyi District, 20 km from The Role of One Laptop Per Child Project in Academic Performance in Primary Schools 41 International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-3, Issue-6, Jun.-2017 http://iraj.in Kamonyi primary school up to Rwanda Capital understand its role in the classroom, and therefore, (Kigali), content scope is based on one laptop per resist pedagogical change. Therefore, from the above child project and performance of education in problem the researcher carried out the study on one Rwanda.When carrying out the research, study had laptop per child and performance of education in various challenges related to the nature and attitude of Rwanda. respondents and the nature of the study itself. Some Respondents were doubtful of researcher who may do III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY surveillance under the cover of academic research and therefore doubted the purpose the researcher General Objective thinking that it is not academic. However, the The general objective of this study was to examine researcher did not let it go, but made through the contribution of OLPC project to academic explanations and show them academic documents and performance in Rwanda. convinced respondents beyond doubt that the research Specific Objectives was purely academic until they gave the required Specific objectives of this study were the following: data. The researcher met a situation where some i. To ascertain the effectiveness of OLPC respondents’ were busy. This made the researcher use project through technology in Gatsibo District unstructured interview and focus group discussion primary schools; that took short time and made of specific ii. To analyze the competencies of teachers’ in appointments. the usage of OLPC for academic performance; iii. To establish relationship between OLPC II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM project and academic performance in primary school. According to [4]a cross the developing world, the reduction of child mortality rates in the last two IV. RESEARCH QUESTIONS decades has led to a dramatic increase in the number of school-age children. This growing cohort of i. How is the effectiveness of OLPC project children need more and better educational through technology in Gatsibo District primary opportunities to engage in a global economy that was schools? increasingly technology-oriented. Yet the way ii. What are the competencies of teachers’ in education is currently delivered cannot possibly cope the usage of OLPC for academic performance? with the population surge. It is estimated that across iii. Is there any relationship between OLPC Africa alone, 64 million additional teachers were project and’ academic performance in primary needed just to maintain a 45 student per teacher ratio. school? According to [5] evaluation, only 10.5 percent of V. RELATED STUDIES teachers receive technical support and 7 percent receive pedagogical support for use of the laptops. [6] carried out a study called One Laptop per Child Even when training was offered, teachers in one- Birmingham: Case Study of a Radical Experiment. room schools were often unable to leave their school The general objective of their study was to investigate to attend the training and were unwilling to travel to the implementation of OLPC in Birmingham, receive unpaid training during their vacation time. Alabama, where some 15,000 of the group’s XO Some 43 percent of students do not bring their laptops were distributed to all first- through fifth- laptops home, mostly because teachers or parents grade public school students and their teachers. Using forbid it out of fear they will be held responsible if documentary analysis, data from two different anything happens. studies: (1) a pre-post survey in Birmingham carried Under the leadership of Rwanda, the government of out by the second author and some of her colleagues Rwanda established a set of objectives to transform and (2) a multisite case study carried out by the first the country into industrial/services based economy in author in Birmingham and two other districts. 20 years. Communication infrastructure plans Surveys were collected from a representative sample provides an ICT policy for Rwanda and a framework of children before and after they received their for bringing technology to Rwandan schools. These laptops, supplemented by observations and interviews governmental plans recognize that the children of in a Birmingham school. The use of the XOs by Rwanda are the nation’s most precious natural teachers and schools, the ways social and technical resource [2]. infrastructure affected program implementation, and the types of
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