ERIC Number: EJ1429927
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Feb
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-0100
EISSN: EISSN-2076-3433
The Sustainability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Previously Disadvantaged Public Schools in Gauteng, South Africa
South African Journal of Education, v44 n1 Article 2302 2024
In 2015, a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of the Gauteng provincial legislature, South Africa, introduced the "Classroom of the Future" programme in previously disadvantaged schools, allowing an integration of information and communication technology into classrooms. In this article we focus on the sustainability of ICT in these schools. We regard sustainability as meeting one's needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The sample constituted 18 participants from 6 disadvantaged schools in the Classroom of the Future initiative. Semi-structured face-to-face and telephonic interviews were employed for data collection. Our results show that ineffective teacher professional development for ICT, and inconsistent and timeous service delivery from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) technicians/teacher trainers were a major deterrent to effective ICT implementation. Additionally, the phasing-in approach to the rollout of ICT was a serious challenge to ICT sustainability in schools. We recommend improved teacher professional development initiatives pertaining to ICT to be instituted in schools where heads of department take responsibility for empowering post-level one (PL 1) teachers on ICT to improve classroom learning. We also advocate for new improved service delivery from GDE technicians/teacher trainers, who are held accountable for fulfilling their mandates.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Public Schools, Disadvantaged Schools, Sustainability, Information Technology, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Faculty Development, Teacher Attitudes, Stakeholders, Department Heads, Program Effectiveness, Program Implementation, Administrator Attitudes, Public Agencies
Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A