Investigating the Challenges Faced by Teachers in the Implementation of Digital Technology in Secondary Schools in Rundu Circuit, Kavango East Region Namibia

Abstract

This study investigated the challenges faced by teachers in the implementation of digital technology in Secondary Schools in Rundu circuit, Kavango east region Namibia. An approach to qualitative research was used in the study. All secondary school principals and teachers in Namibia’s Rundu Circuit, Kavango East region, made up the study’s population. Three principals and seven teachers from the three secondary schools in the Rundu Circuit in the Kavango East region made up the sample for this study. Semi-structured open ended questionnaires were used to gather the qualitative data. Then, using thematic analysis, the information gathered from the interviews was then transcribed, analyzed and then presented. The results of this study showed that one of the barriers to implementing the digital technology strategy in the teaching and learning process was a lack of pedagogical training. The study’s findings also showed that more teachers had limited or no access to the digital technology resources available to them in their organizations. The results of this study showed that the Kavango East region was experiencing an increase in burglaries, with computers and air conditioners being the main targets. Most of the schools had their laboratories broken into, with computers and other supporting equipment being taken, rendering the entire implementation of the digital technology policy null and void. The study’s findings also revealed that some schools in the Kavango East Region lacked electricity and had a large number of malfunctioning computers that had accumulated over time because teachers lacked the necessary technical expertise to have them fixed so that both teachers and students could use them. The results of this study allowed the researchers to draw the conclusion that one of the obstacles to the adoption of the digital technology policy in the teaching and learning process at some secondary schools in Rundu Circuit, Kavango East area Namibia, was a lack of pedagogical training. It may also be inferred that another significant barrier to teachers implementing the digital technology strategy in the classrooms was a lack of digital technology resources. According to the study’s findings, the Kavango East region saw a rise in burglaries. The study suggested that the Ministry of Education needs to significantly increase its involvement in the process of implementing digital technology policies by offering both material and human support, providing oversight, and conducting regular reviews or assessments. Teachers must receive ongoing training in digital technology skills in order for them to be fully prepared and knowledgeable of how to use these tools for the benefit of Namibian children.