Application of Information and Communication Technology in Educating Pupils with Special Needs and the Challenges of the 21st Century

Abstract

This paper examines the dynamics that came due to application of information and communication technology (ICT) in educating pupils with special needs such as the disabled, the gifted and talented and the disadvantaged group. It also finds out the challenges facing the application of ICT in teaching pupils with special needs in the 21st century. The paper showed that application of ICT has great and significant impact on the quality and quantity of education received by pupils with special needs. ICT facilitates learning and development of pupils with special needs in many ways. The paper on the other hand highlights many factors that prevent the full application of ICT in primary education system for pupils with special needs in the 21st century, which consists of poor infrastructure, inadequate resources, manpower, and so on. Finally, the paper gives some recommendations in order to achieve full utilization of ICT facilities in the 21st century, such as governments at all levels should increase funding to primary education systems for pupils with special needs and that teachers in primary school level should be given appropriate training on integration and application of ICT in the education of pupils with special needs, and these recommendations if implemented will of course result in greater improvement and impact in the education of pupils with special needs in Kano State