UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) FACILITIES FOR MANAGEMENT OF COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN NORTHEAST, NIGERIA

This study investigated the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities for the management of Colleges of Education in Northeast Nigeria. The research adopted a correlational design with a population of 2,502 management and academic staff across six Colleges of Education. A sample of 345 respondents was selected, with 333 valid questionnaires retrieved for analysis. Data were collected using a checklist and a structured questionnaire titled "ICT Facilities Utilization and Management Questionnaire (ICTFUMQ)," which demonstrated a reliability coefficient of 0.886 using Cronbach's Alpha method. Research questions were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, while null hypotheses were tested using regression analysis at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that basic ICT facilities such as desktop computers and email systems are widely available (100%), while advanced facilities like teleconferencing and CCTV systems showed limited availability (33.3%). ICT skills of management staff demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with institutional management (F(1,331)=9.264, p<0.05), and the utilization of ICT for human resource management showed a significant but moderate relationship (F(1,331)=6.526, p<0.05). The study concluded that ICT significantly enhances the management of Colleges of Education in Northeast Nigeria. Recommendations include prioritizing advanced ICT infrastructure provision, organizing continuous professional development programmes for staff ICT skills enhancement, and intensifying ICT utilization in human resource management functions.