Conclusion

The overall conclusion arising from the study is that the 2005-2007 ICT PD programme had a marked and significant effect on the teachers and students in cluster schools with respect to all of its key goals. There were high levels of goal achievement reported by participants, and marked increases or changes with respect to all of the Ministry’s objectives as outlined in cluster performance agreements.

At the national level, the programme continues to achieve its overall goals of increasing teachers’ skills and confidence with ICTs, improving teachers’ understandings of the educative purposes of using ICTs in teaching and learning, increasing classroom usage of ICTs, involving schools and teachers in effective communities of practice for professional development, and providing quality ICT-mediated learning experiences for students. While stating these as general effects on the population of cluster teachers and classrooms as a whole, we note that at a national level, the ICT PD programme continues to have a greater impact among primary teachers than among secondary teachers, and a greater impact among those who take part for the majority of the duration of the three-year programme.