Affiliations: [a] School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunication, Beijing, P.R. China | [b] School of Automation, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing, P.R. China | [c] Academic Centre for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Shafaq Salam, School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing, P.R. China. Tel.: +86 18811796569; E-mail: shafaqsalam@yahoo.com.
Abstract: Traditionally, education emphasizes on the use of textbooks for the acquisition of knowledge. However, educational settings around the world are now emphasizing on digital curricula that promote competences and performance. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on students’ performance. Knowing the importance of ICT for education, the private schools of Pakistan emphasize the use of ICT; however, public schools lag behind in the ICT infrastructure, thereby producing a digital divide. This research conducted a survey with 150 public and private school students of Peshawar District, in the KP province of Pakistan. The results show that the use of ICT acts as a catalyst for improving the quality of education and the students’ performance. The study’s findings can benefit policy makers who design ICT-based curricula and provide ICT infrastructure for public schools. Moreover, the study’s results can help narrow the current digital divide, by providing a high-quality education to public school students.
Keywords: Public schools, private schools, impact of ICT, comparative analysis, performance
