The Status of Information Technology Education in Selected Private Colleges in Addis Ababa

Abstract

The rapidly growing information and communication technology (ICT) is knocking at the front door of every country in the world. Globalization of ICT has made the world smaller and opaque through digital and virtual reality of cyber space. It is this technology that is setting the pace of business growth in this millennium. Entrepreneurs can break encrustation in the economy through innovation from information and communication technology and through new form of competition. Developing an IT culture is a task involving a transformation of the people and the economy from traditional agrarian society to “Knowledge intensive one”. Governmental bodies in collaboration with the private sector should take the lead in setting, as a national goal, the shift to information society. Both sectors should research and demonstrate projects in IT to cultivate and create understanding and appreciation of IT among people, and enable the great majority of people to have basic level of access to services. Appropriate information technology (meaning technology which is grounded firmly in curriculum goals, incorporated in sound instructional processes, and deeply integrated with subject matter content) is proving to be a useful tool in facilitating learning and overall socio-economic development as opposed to passively receiving it and help develop advanced thinking and reasoning skills. Conversely, when this grounding is absent, student performances are unlikely to meet the minimum standards in business fields of studies. The study attempted to examine the current status of IT education in four selected private colleges within Addis Ababa with special emphasis on the existing problems that hinder the learning-teaching process. The target populations of the study are students, heads and instructors of the four selected private Colleges. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the required data. Shortage of personal computers, limited lab access hours and lack of adequate reference materials, lack of previous exposures to computers and stealing of computer accessories are some of the drawbacks that existed in the Colleges.