The purpose of this study was to identify secondary school students’ digital skills gap and examine effects of their socio-demographic characteristics. It is based on a cross-sectional survey of 1997 secondary school students from 39 schools sampled using multistage sampling involving stratified, simple random and systematic sampling procedures. Data were collected using Helpers (2020) youth digital skills indicator questionnaire, and guided by Van Dijk’s (in: The digital divide, Routledge, 2013) Resources and Appropriation Theory. Findings reveal that digital skills are high for 50.9% of students and moderate for 37.6% of students, differing by school type, location, gender, age, education level, parents’ education, but not parents’ employment, except for information and communication skills (η² = 0.2% − 9%). Education, including parents’ education is crucial to developing students’ digital skills. Stakeholders should run targeted programmes and awareness campaigns to boost digital skills of students, teachers, parents, and guardians to support digital learning at school and home.
Nkwamah et al. (Wed,) studied this question.