When does ICT support education in South Africa? The importance of teachers' capabilities and the relevance of language

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the challenges of information and communication technology (ICT) integration in a South African classroom setting. The main focus is on the concept of a digital divide, and how cultural complexity with special emphasis on language can affect the divide in schools that already have material access to ICT. The study is based on fieldwork in seventh-grade classes in four primary schools in Cape Town, South Africa. The learners answered a questionnaire regarding their ICT use and skills, and interviews were conducted with learners, teachers, and principals. In conclusion, it is argued that the challenges of language in South African schools can exacerbate or maintain the digital divide among learners who are already disadvantaged due to a range of social inequalities. For learners to fully master the use of ICT in today's global knowledge society, it needs to be put in a local context, which includes use in a familiar language. Moreover, it is suggested that greater opportunities for teacher training are needed in order to enhance culturally sensitive and appropriate ICT integration based on local needs and capacity.

Keywords:

• digital divide
• ICT integration
• language of teaching and learning
• teacher training
• disadvantaged learners

Acknowledgements

The author thank the anonymous reviewers for valuable comments on the manuscript. Moreover, gratitude is extended to Tony Carr at the University of Cape Town, Halla B. Holmarsdottir at the University College in Oslo, and Sheri Bastien at the University of Oslo, for constructive feedback on the content of the article. Finally, many thanks to all of the participants in the study who shared their time and everyday lives with me and gave me insight into the South African education system.

Notes

Saïd Assar is the accepting Guest Editor for this article.

That is, if they are not in a special English medium school, which are often more prestigious and more expensive to attend.

Since May 2009, the Minister of Science and Technology.

According to K. Sherman, an ICT education specialist at the University of Cape Town, the focus of CEI was shifted by the new government in the Western Cape in 2009 to work on ICT training for other government departments such as health and not education. Other pre- or in-service courses for teachers on ICT-related skills have been channeled through universities, which offer training courses, often short modules taught through distance learning, which is challenging for part of the students due to access issues (K. Sherman, personal communication, April 13, 2010).