Abstract:

Given the role human capital plays in driving economic growth, as validated in the literature, it is imperative to examine factors that enable the development of human capital, particularly, in terms of enrolment in schools. This study identifies ICT as one of those factors that can be responsible for enabling school enrolment and access to education. Thus, ICT can facilitate inclusive growth by making education more accessible. This study, therefore, examines the role of ICT in facilitating school enrolment at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of education in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The baseline model for this investigation is a knowledge economy framework for which panel data for 32 SSA countries that spans from 2001 to 2012 is used. Using the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) technique, it was discovered that ICT played a more significant role in facilitating school enrolment at the secondary and tertiary levels of education unlike at the primary level. It was also found out that a statistically significant and direct relationship exists between ICT infrastructure and usage and school enrolment in SSA.