Comparative Analysis of Computer Literacy's Effect on Employee Competency at Rwanda Environmental Authority and The New Times Newspaper in Kigali, Rwanda

Abstract

Employees at Rwanda Environmental Management Authority(REMA) - a government agency and The New Times Newspaper - a private company were compared by sampling 44 employees out of 60 from REMA as well as 61 employees out of 80 from the New Times Newspaper, respectively. Yamane formula was used to determine sample sizes for questionnaire and interview guide administration. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 18 was used for frequencies, percentages, weighted means, standard deviations, standard deviations and t-test. Multiple regressions helped to determine relationships between the independent and dependent variables. Majority (89%) of REMA middle level employees used computers for printing and videoconferencing (89%). At the New Times Newspaper, all (100%) of their counterparts used computers mainly for printing and videoconferencing (86.7%). All (100%) of the REMA operational employees regularly used computers, whereas majority (95%) of their counterparts at The New Times Newspaper did the same. For REMA, the correlation coefficient R was 0.851. This meant a strong, positive correlation between computer literacy and employee competency. the Coefficient of Determination R square = 0.724 meant that 72.4% of the variation in employee competency at REMA resulted from the stochastic model developed, with 27.6% unexplained.Similarly, for The New Times, R was 0.767, also signifying a strong, positive correlation between the variables. R square = 0.588 meant that 58.8% of the variation in employee competency was attributed to the model. The remaining 41.2% was unexplained. With p<0.05 the correlations differed significantly, probably due to organizational differences. Recommendations included: hands-on employee orientation on basic computer skills and regular, in-service, computer skills enhancement. In the long term, a government-private sector partnership, to continually upgrade employee computer literacy skills was recommended.