WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL OF ICT INTEGRATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN GHANA?

ICT is an inevitable component of our life in today’s world. We mostly communicate, work and initiate leisure activities using ICT. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be defined as “anything which allows us to get information, to communicate with each other, or to have an effect on the environment using electronic or digital equipment” (Siraj-Blatchford & Siraj-Blatchford, 2003). 

Today ICT is an element in all stages of education; and early childhood education is no exception. Examples of ICT are desktop, laptop, and handheld computers, digital cameras and digital video cameras; creativity and communication software and tools; the Internet; telephones, fax machines, mobile telephones, tape recorders; interactive stories, simulated environments, and computer games; programmable toys and “control” technologies; videoconferencing technologies and closed-circuit television; data projectors, electronic whiteboards, et cetera.

Electronic media has unsurprisingly become a constant presence in the lives of the children around the world. “Research done on the learning of North American and European children has discovered that as much as 80 per cent of knowledge they gain by the age of 11 is learnt from the non-print media outside the classroom.” Shah and Godiyal 2017, state three implications in this finding. “First, national education systems must reflect what is, without any doubt, an incontrovertible fact, namely, that the interdependence of the media and education is here to stay. Second, its force of unlocking of mankind’s potential, while still imperfectly understood, must be analyzed and managed. Third and last, there exists no more fertile ground, on which the electronic media can become a force for good as much as for ill, than the mind of a child.” 

Damaging effects of ICT tools on young children include anti-social behaviour, laziness towards brain work, among others. There is also the exposure to unsuitable content including violence, inappropriate sexual behaviour and stereotypes. Growing addiction to computers are distractions to learning and other more important activities including play. "An argument opposing early introduction of ICT is that as children learn through their bodies, computers are not developmentally appropriate" (Haugland 2000).

Shah and Godiyal ascertains that the debate regarding ICT use in early years remains unresolved as indicated by a Scottish literature review of ICT in early childhood education. This review suggested that "a scarcity of good quality research findings on using ICT in educational settings for pre-school children” (Stephen & Plowman 2002). Experts have used, the developmental appropriateness, quality of learning environment and other health issues as measures towards determining whether or not it is safe for a child to include ICT in the learning process at an early stage. Many early childhood educationists criticise and reject the “Fool’s Gold” (Shah and Godiyal. 2017) critical approach. Some authors state that similar concerns about harmful cognitive, emotional, physical, and social effects on children have accompanied the emergence of every new technology from the advent of alphabetic print, to the proliferation of film, television, and video games (Linderoth, Lantz-Andersson & Lindstrom 2002; Luke 1999).

Bolstad 2004 states three reasons why ICT is highly essential in early childhood education. These are listed below:

1. ICT already has an effect on the people and environments that surround young children’s learning. 
2. These technologies offer new opportunities to strengthen many aspects of early childhood education practice.
3. There is support and interest across the whole education sector for the development and integration of ICT into education policy, curriculum, and practice.

HOW IS TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT APPLIED IN GHANAIAN BASIC SCHOOLS?

“In order for a company to achieve quality, they need quality leadership.” This was one of Philip Corsby (2001)’s philosophical contributions to the concept of Total Quality Management. In 1964, he gained recognition for his “Zero Defects” concept which stipulated continuous improvement and positive attitude in service. His counterpart, Dr. Joseph M. Juran (1991) is most renowned for coming up with the phrase, “fitness for use or purpose” “The importance of this idea is that a product or service can meet its specification and yet not be fit for its purpose” Sampson (2015: 12). In other words, a goal (in the form of a product or service) may be achieved, and yet, lack purpose.

Total Quality Management is a management model which places emphasis on the importance of each stage in the chain of production. This model speaks to both product and service oriented management systems. Though Total Quality Management is widely accepted and many people may feel as though, and in turn claim that they are part of the quality movement, “there is a huge gap between the rhetoric and real understanding.” Sampson (2015: 3). This means that; in theory, the concept is widely existent and accepted, whereas in practice, it is lacking. Suffice it to say that the concept has not been properly translated into the educational system.

Total Quality Management has been translated into education in its raw form with little regard for the uniqueness of school goers as products. According to Zelada (2013: 6), “there is no relationship between school effectiveness and input factors”. In Ghana, as it is in many other parts of the world, education is constantly faced with the challenge of wholesale approach to teaching and learning when in fact, each child has a unique ability and need. A fundamental cause of this system is the lack of adequate human resources. In the United States, the ratio of teacher to child was 1:26.8 in public schools in 2011-2012 (National Center for Education Statistics). Abubakr (2016: 718) states that “One of the weaknesses of such a perspective is in its concentration on the student as a customer whereas TQM in education should concern the customer beyond students.” These issues raised, among others which will be tackled subsequently, are among the factors undermining the total achievement of Total Quality Management in Education. This brings us to the objectives of the study.

Quality can be achieved through successful management; much of contemporary thinking on this aspect focuses on total quality management (TQM). "Total quality management is a philosophy that is driven by the constant attainment of client satisfaction through the continuous improvement of all organizational processes" (Robbins, 2003). In the school setting, students and their parents should be satisfied with educational services. The school should render bearing in mind that the students are paying for the services that. For this reason, Total Quality Management should be implemented in the education system. In a sense, the student is the teacher’s customer, as the recipient of educational services. In this case, the teacher and the school are suppliers of effective learning tools and systems to the student who is the primary customer.

The school is responsible for providing the long-term educational welfare of students by how to invest in their lifelong learning processes. Also, Total Quality Management has it that everyone in the organization must aim towards continuous improvement. Senge (2000) has suggested that those organizations which keep growing are “learning organizations” where people, processes and systems are dedicated to continuous improvement. In order to be true learning organizations, schools must have the resources needed for constant improvement and communication with their stakeholders.