ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effect of Senior High School (SHS) teachers’ perceptions of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on their Actual Use (AU) of these tools in teaching. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study examined three primary constructs: Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), and Actual Use (AU) of ICT. Data were collected from 548 SHS teachers using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses. Findings revealed that teachers held high perceptions of both the usefulness and ease of use of ICT tools, with mean scores for PU and PEU consistently above the midpoint of the 7-point Likert scale. Results also showed a moderately high level of actual ICT use, although this varied across specific teaching practices and was influenced by institutional support. The regression analysis demonstrated that PU significantly influenced AU, explaining over 51% of the variance in teachers’ ICT use. Similarly, PEU significantly influenced both PU and AU, accounting for nearly 50% of the variance in each case. These findings confirm the central role of teacher attitudes in determining ICT integration. The study concludes that fostering positive perceptions of ICT’s value and usability is crucial for increasing its classroom application. It recommends sustained professional development, peer collaboration, and investment in digital infrastructure to enhance ICT integration. The findings provide useful implications for a contextual comprehension of technology adoption in Ghana’s education system and offer practical implications for policymakers, school administrators, and teacher training institutions.

ABSTRACT
District-level planning plays a pivotal role in shaping the quality and equity of basic education, especially within decentralised systems. In Ghana, where educational disparities persist across regions, examining how local planning influences learning outcomes is both timely and essential. This review examine how district-level planning influences the quality of basic education in Ghana a question that lies at the heart of educational equity and systemic reform in developing contexts. Drawing on literature published between 2010 and 2025, the review considers how decentralised planning, when done well can serve as a powerful lever for transforming learning outcomes at the local level. It probes how decisions made at the district level about teacher deployment, financing, curriculum implementation, and stakeholder engagement shape not just access to education, but its depth, relevance, and inclusivity. While Ghana has invested heavily in policy frameworks like the Education Strategic Plan and decentralisation reforms, implementation remains uneven. Districts continue to face persistent challenges for instance weak data infrastructure, limited financial autonomy, inadequate planning capacity, and political interference. Yet, there are hopeful signs. Evidence from selected districts shows that where planning is inclusive, data-informed, and grounded in local realities, schools achieve better results especially for the most marginalised learners. The review concludes by arguing that district-level planning must move beyond technical compliance to become a practice of adaptive, participatory, and equity-driven leadership if Ghana is to realise its vision of quality education for all.

ABSTRACT
Poor academic performance in rural community secondary schools remains a major concern because it constrains educational progression, weakens human-capital development, and reproduces social inequality across already disadvantaged communities. Although recent African and Nigerian studies increasingly show that student achievement is shaped by interacting school, teacher, home, and learner conditions, there remains limited integrated evidence from rural community secondary schools in Nsukka, Enugu State. This study investigated students’ perceived determinants of poor academic performance in selected rural community secondary schools in Nsukka. A quantitative descriptive survey design was adopted. The target population comprised 977 students from three selected schools, from which 280 respondents were selected through purposive school selection followed by proportionate simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire organized into demographic items and four substantive domains: parent/home-based, school-related, teacher-related, and student-related factors. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, were used for analysis. Mean scores of 2.75 and above were interpreted as major perceived factors, scores from 2.50 to 2.74 as minor perceived factors, and scores below 2.50 as non-significant factors. The results show that lack of parental encouragement, weak parent/guardian involvement, inadequate teaching and learning materials, distance from home to school, unsuitable home study environments, poor teacher–student relationships, teachers’ failure to complete schemes of work, student lateness, and student absenteeism were the most salient perceived contributors to poor academic performance. The study concludes that poor performance in the selected schools is not reducible to individual learner weakness; rather, it reflects a multidimensional ecology of home support, school resources, classroo