Abstract
One manner in which the emancipation of human beings can occur is through education. The term “education” is associated with the cultivation and nurturing of the inner talents and skills of individuals, which can occur at the preschool, primary school, secondary school, and tertiary education levels. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996, regards education as one of the basic human rights. Since the dawn of the democratic dispensation, various efforts have been made to ensure that all South Africans are afforded the opportunity to have access to educational activities to enhance their socio-economic wellbeing. In South Africa, the concept of social justice strives to ensure that every child has access to education that is fair and that will enable them to thrive in socio-economic aspects when they are adults.
The application of information and communications technology (ICT) in education is one mechanism that can ensure that the above is realised, as these tools are able to prepare learners for the changes associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution that are currently occurring in the world of work. Through the successful application of ICT in education, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) can ensure that learners are prepared for the world of work and that progress is made towards achieving social justice. This study attempted to highlight the importance of e-Governance and ICT in education in the GDE. The study investigated the impact of these factors on social justice. Since 2015, much progress has been made by the GDE to ensure that children are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to thrive in the future through the application of e-Education.
The research approach was qualitative in nature. A single case study design, with two units of observation, was adopted in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect primary data. The interview data were triangulated with a review of the relevant literature to strengthen the findings of this study.
Based on the findings of this research, six themes were categorised utilising thematic analysis. These themes were the conceptualisation of ICT in education, social justice, and e-Governance; the role and significance of e-Governance in social justice promotion; challenges of implementing ICT in education; advantages, benefits, and current improvements/achievements; strategic implementation of ICT in education;
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and online applications and school administration. The study highlighted the importance of e-Governance and ICT in education in the GDE, with specific reference to secondary schools, as well as insufficient literature on this body of knowledge. Furthermore, due to a lack of planning in terms of implementation, various challenges can arise and if stakeholders are not included in the planning processes, lack of buy-in will result. The benefits of ICT in education are not fully communicated, and the provision of limited or no training in ICT in education can serve has a hinderance to the application of ICT in education.
The conclusions derived from this research study are that although various efforts have been made by the GDE, there are still some challenges that are associated with the successful implementation of ICT in education in order for social justice to be promoted. The outcomes of this study suggest that e-Governance can be effective in promoting social justice; however, it is imperative that the implementation of policies is executed in such a way that buy-in from stakeholders is obtained from the beginning stages of the implementation phases and that stakeholders are not just informed of the policies, but that they will be responsible for the execution of these policies.
Keywords: information and communications technology, ICT in education, Gauteng Department of Education, e-Governance, social justice