Low Attendance and Transition Rates of Women at the Tertiary Level: Impact of Internet Innovation in Ghana

Abstract

Ghanaian education industry, especially at the tertiary level has witnessed progressive growth over the years. As a result of this, technology is required to sustain this progress since technology has become a powerful tool for women to further their education without experiencing any role conflict. However, of great concern are the challenges such as gender imbalance, the high cost of tertiary education, women's inability to secure ICT equipment. Based on this, the study examined the relationship between Internet Technology (IT) accessibility and women's tertiary education in Tamale. The quantitative case study was adopted as research design and using purposive sampling procedure also supported by simple random sampling for data collection. A chi-square test was employed to examine the causal relationship between internet technology availability and women's education accessibility. It was discovered that there is a strong positive relationship between internet availability and women's accessibility to tertiary education. The study also disclosed satisfactory ICT infrastructure, the growth of internet usage for learners pursuing tertiary education. Gender imbalance, the high cost of tertiary education, women's inability to secure ICT equipment and the role conflict between domestic and tertiary education were also discovered. Based on these findings, the study recommends the construction of a strong and resilient Fiber Optic System (FOS) should be treated as a top priority by the National Communication Authority (NCA). To achieve this objective, there should be Public Private Participation (PPP) so as to ensure cost-sharing between the government and the private sector and also prevent the overburdening of either the public or the private sector. Universities should consider incorporating e-learning systems as part of the medium of instruction so as to address the role conflict which normally occurs between women's domestic chores and their urge for advanced and further educational pursuit.