**4.1 Strategies that hold promise for improving school principals to guide rural education reform in implementing computers in teaching and learning**

The challenges faced by schools in implementing computer integration into the classrooms were: lack of developing infrastructure for information and communication technologies is widening the gap between Africa and the rest of the world [7]; lack of computer facilities and resources; the complaint brought was that school principals are not guiding rural education reform in the implementation of computerintegrated education; therefore, practical strategies are to be brought to aid this venture. Lack of funds to buy computers and to train staff; therefore, Masum et al. [6] reflect that the concept of the digital divide is often used to describe the phenomenon guiding rural education reform in the implementation of computer-integrated education. Principals must aid in ensuring that rural reform in adopting ICTs is not compromised. There is a lack of support from the department; therefore, principals are the only trusted stakeholders in schools in channelling this to the ICT section of the basic education department to eliminate concerns that, more than ten years into the new democracy, the legacy of apartheid continues to be felt in the education system [11]. In this challenge, principals are to adopt strategies for the establishment of ties with the Department of Communication, but a guide on how each school principal will aid rural education reform in the implementation of Internet facilities in teaching and learning needs to be drawn. High cost of connecting to the Internet, teachers' work overload, lack of computer laboratories and lack of trained teachers to handle computer-integration implementations in schools; with regard to this, the researcher's view is if school principals are equipped with strategies for improving rural education reform in implementing computers in teaching and learning by their respective education specialist then ICT enhanced teaching and learning in schools will not be compromised this aligned researchers highlighting that South African education system is now undergoing dramatic changes [18].

### **4.2 Metacognition and instilling the culture of technology in schools**

It is important to know that computers are efficient classroom tools that can enhance education if used to benefit student learning and achievement, Ran and Secada [21] aver that integrating computer-assisted education implies a move towards a different kind of teaching. Integrating technology and education provides students with a global approach to learning and communicating. This book chapter, however, revealed that very few teachers used computers in the schools to assist in the teaching and learning process in the classrooms. Padayachee [9] argues that ICTs have the potential to overcome barriers causing social and geographical isolation, increase access to information and education, and enable the poor to participate, making an impact on their lives. A teacher had this to say: teachers do not use computers for teaching and learning in class. There had been hardly any training for teachers in computer integration in these schools by the Department of Education or any other organisation. Learners in schools did not use computers in the learning and teaching process in the geographical area where the study was conducted. The study revealed that the teachers used the computers to type question papers for the classes. The book chapter also revealed that learners did not use computers in the schools because of a lack of skills, and few were sufficiently computer literate to teach others in the schools.

Learners in this school do not use computers because they are not computer literate. This sentiment was expressed by a teacher and highlighted the absence of *Chronicling Information Communication Technology into Teaching and Learning… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.113790*

skills required to teach learners to use computers. The researcher's opinion is that instilling the culture of technology in schools through amending school policies and being informed by an educational white paper on e-education in terms of how teachers are to utilise the school ICTs that are rollout by the Department of Education and monitoring of how those policies are implemented in school can instil the culture of technology-enhanced teaching in schools.

### **4.3 Rural schools lack computer-integrated skills**

Schools had insufficient computers, and existing computers were not connected to the Internet. This was what a teacher had to say: a few computers are not in good condition, and these too are not connected to the Internet. The most common reason for not implementing technology-integrated lessons was that the necessary computers were not available regardless of pivotal role and benefit metacognition by using ICT to aid in twenty-first-century learning. Heimbürger et al. [17] noted that in South Africa, as far as improving the quality of life of citizens is concerned, e-education assumes a pivotal role. The most common reasons given for not implementing a technologyintegrated lesson in most schools were that the necessary computers were not available, software was not available, there was no Internet connection, there was too little preparation time, and there was a lack of technical and administrative support.

### **4.4 ICT integration training, competence, equipment and appropriate software and materials**

The challenges faced by schools in implementing computer integration in the classrooms appeared to be a lack of computer facilities and resources, a lack of funds to buy computers and train staff, a lack of support from the DOE, a lack of Internet facilities, and the high cost of connecting to the Internet. Teachers complained of work overload, a lack of computer laboratories, a lack of trained IT teachers to handle computer integration implementations in schools, a limited time possibility of theft, and a lack of workshops and training in IT. Mietule et al. [3] also assert that the use of ICTs in education is hoped to expand education to remote places and, consequently, help bridge the digital divide and thus enable positive metacognition, especially when adopting ICTs in teaching and learning. The department is not ready to furnish the schools with computers; there are no computer laboratories, and there is a lack of trained teachers to handle computer integration implementations in schools. This view was from a teacher.

### **4.5 Adoption of information and communication technology in teaching and learning activities**

There had not been training for teachers in computer integration by the DOE or any other organisation in the schools. A principal had this to say: there has not been training for both teachers and learners yet, so they need to be trained. A teacher had this to say: it is the wish of the department, but they do not assist in this school. Bahrini and Qaffas [7] assert that the lack of a developing infrastructure for information and communication technologies is widening the gap between Africa and the rest of the world. It is important to highlight that few teachers have been trained to integrate computers into their teaching and learning processes, and in fact, there are no computer facilities for these teachers to implement their skills and knowledge.

There are some teachers who went for training, but practising the skills is where the challenge is. This was from a teacher.
