Adoption of the Intranet in Public Sector Service Delivery in the Ministry of Education: A Case Study of Provincial Education Office (PEO) Copperbelt

Intranet has been implemented in the Zambian public sector to enhance information flow and decision-making through the SMART Zambia initiative to promote electronic governance. This study aimed at establishing itsefficacy in the Ministry of Education using the Copperbelt PEO as a case study. A qualitative research approach was adopted with a descriptive research design which was a case study. The target population was 120 officers at Provincial Education Office (PEO) in Copperbelt Province of Ndola District. The sample size for this study comprised 20 staff at the Provincial Education Office. The study used purposive sampling technique to select the respondents. The study used an oral open ended interview guide and an observation checklist to collect qualitative data. Data was thematically analysed in form of narratives, opinions and experiences. It was found that intranet is available at PEO – Copperbelt and was installed by SMART Zambia in 2017.This study established benefits of utilising intranet at PEO such as; easy communication, collaboration and engagement of staff, excellent storage and easy information management, cost saving and efficient decision making. However, intranet was being underutilised as only 5 members of staff in management were connected and accessing the portal for intranet. Furthermore, the study identified challenges faced by PEO in utilising intranet such as: negative attitude towards intranet, lack of training, poor time management, and costs as well as inadequate gadgets for intranet. The study recommends the need for continuous training for provision of modern ICT equipment, capacity building, and monitoring intranet usage.