E-Infrastuctures and E-Services for Developing Countries. Second International ICST Conference, AFRICOM 2010, Cape Town, South Africa, November 25-26, 2010, Revised Selected Papers

Research Article

Student Performance in Computer Studies in Secondary Schools in Malawi

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  • @INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-642-23828-4_11,
        author={Patrick Chikumba},
        title={Student Performance in Computer Studies in Secondary Schools in Malawi},
        proceedings={E-Infrastuctures and E-Services for Developing Countries. Second International ICST Conference, AFRICOM 2010, Cape Town, South Africa, November 25-26, 2010, Revised Selected Papers},
        proceedings_a={AFRICOMM},
        year={2012},
        month={5},
        keywords={Challenges in computer education computer studies ICTs in education Malawi education system},
        doi={10.1007/978-3-642-23828-4_11}
    }
    
  • Patrick Chikumba
    Year: 2012
    Student Performance in Computer Studies in Secondary Schools in Malawi
    AFRICOMM
    Springer
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-23828-4_11
Patrick Chikumba1,*
  • 1: The Polytechnic, University of Malawi
*Contact email: patrick_chikumba@yahoo.com

Abstract

Malawi has a national policy for ICT which emphasizes introduction of computer lessons in the education, especially primary and secondary levels. In response to this, in five years ago, Government of Malawi through Ministry of Education introduced Computer Studies as an optional subject at senior secondary level. Since introduction of Computer Studies in secondary schools, there has been no literature on how students perform in this subject with emphasis on ‘type’ of secondary school, gender and school location. This paper highlights performance of students in Computer Studies with an aim of finding out which schools are doing better than others which will prompt for further study to investigate reasons of success or failure. Private secondary schools are performing better in Computer Studies than government secondary schools and this is not due to location, gender and ‘type’ of school. Particularly government secondary schools need to invest much more in computers, teaching materials and staff in order to delivery this subject to more students than it is now.