Vol. 3 (1) Jul. 2021

Article ID. JHSSR-1096-2021

Role of ICT in Educational Development during COVID-19 Pandemic in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Zone of Nepal

Narayan Prasad Niroula

Abstract:

This paper investigates the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in educational development during the COVID-19 pandemic in three zones of Nepal. Teachers who were not fully equipped with ICT knowledge and the skills required to teach online, had to go through the learning process quickly in order to teach their students, especially in inaccessible areas of the given zones. The purpose of the study was to measure educational development and, therefore; professional development in terms of ICT skill and their using it in their virtual classroom during the pandemic. Using the mixed methods approach, this study analyzed 64 high school teachers’ responses in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini zones of Nepal. This research aims to fill the gap created by geographical distance; and therefore, in knowledge base. In agreement with what was hypothesized, it was found that a large number of teachers (M = 4.00) augmented their ICT skills and used them frequently during the pandemic whereas the same participants did not use ICT applications frequently (M = 2.78) to teach in their classroom before the pandemic. The study finds that teachers’ using ICT tools in such remote areas indicates that teachers had to go through intensive learning during the pandemic.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2021.v3.n1.id1096.p103