ICT in education: Can the digital divide be bridged?

A recent news report highlighted that a five-year-old boy in Thailand passed Microsoft`s Office User Specialist examination, becoming the youngest person ever to do so. His motivation was simple: his father promised him a new bicycle if he passed. While the boy is certainly more IT-literate than many children his age, his achievement illustrates the fact that mastering technology can be achieved at a young age.

In fully industrialised nations, information and communication technology (ICT) is already a key factor in schools and homes, with babies pounding away on specially designed keyboards. By the time they reach adulthood, they will be able to think in innovative ways, finding everything they need to know at the click of a button.

In contrast, millions of African children undergo schooling in dilapidated buildings, with no electricity or running water, much less hi-tech educational toys. When they emerge into the global workplace, their thinking and knowledge will be centuries behind that of their peers.

As Africa races to close the gap in the digital divide, increasing numbers of ICT companies and development organisations are getting on board to find ways to take ICT to the young, to give them a fair chance in the global economy of the future. The question now is: will they make it in time?

The US and countries in Europe have been engaged in experiments using IT in education since the 1950s and 1960s. Not all of these projects were successful, but the 21^st Century sees these countries streets ahead of Africa in terms of technology in the classroom. The advent of the home PC and virtually unlimited Internet access have given children in wealthy nations access to a world of information. They have been so quick to embrace it that health experts are voicing concerns about nations of "mouse potatoes" who never leave the PC monitor, live on junk food, and have devised new languages for use in chat rooms and SMSs.

Parents buy Internet access to give their children an advantage over their peers; children need a lot more than to go to school to succeed in years to come.

Russel Yeo, GM, M-Web Studios

Teachers in many US and UK schools are reported to be making everyday use of ICT in the classroom, supervising students as they navigate courses on PCs, or encouraging children to use ICT for research and revision.

Even without teachers to guide them, ICT can make a difference to children`s learning.

The Hole in the Wall experiment in India proved that if it is made available to them, children will find their way around technology unaided. The first Hole in the Wall experiment consisted of little more than setting up an Internet kiosk in a room adjacent to a slum in New Delhi in 1999. The kiosk was set up in a room belonging to NIIT, one of the biggest computer training and software houses in India. The company simply carved a hole in the wall of the room and waited. Within the first day, children from the neighbouring slum had slipped through the wall to inspect the PC. Within weeks, they were competently browsing the Internet, downloading music, visiting cartoon sites, working on MS Paint, creating folders and resizing windows. NIIT reports that up to 80 children still use the kiosk every day. The success of this project has resulted in the installation of similar kiosks in other underprivileged areas of India.

In SA, a significant number of children do not have access to basic supplies such as pens, textbooks or even classrooms, much less electricity and ICT. Even in urban schools equipped with electricity, an alarming number of teachers have never used a PC. Insiders say schools in Johannesburg have been known to teach children PC keyboard skills by sending them home to practise typing on a drawing of a keyboard.

In contrast, the wealthier students in more upmarket schools have access to computer-literate teachers, computer labs and top-of-the-range home PCs and digital gizmos. The more privileged children have fewer limits on their Internet time, and can cut-and-paste award-winning school projects. With outcomes-based education putting more emphasis on marks for projects throughout the year instead of marks for exams, those with the means to put together five-star projects will sail through school, qualify for university admission and leave their poorer peers behind.

So instead of becoming the great equaliser, IT could end up being the wedge that drives the haves and have-nots even further apart. Some local corporates and organisations are racing to close this gap before it results in a new apartheid.

One of the most notable initiatives to promote the use of ICT in schools is the R500 million GautengOnline project launched last year, with a view to ensuring that every school in Gauteng has Internet access by the year 2006. Earlier this year, various business consortia began working with GautengOnline to begin supplying each of Gauteng`s 2 450 public schools with networked computers and access to the Internet. The project is progressing according to plan, and is reported to be making a considerable difference to the schools where technology has already been rolled out.

The Cape IT Initiative (CITI) is contributing to IT education for children with - among other things - an e-literacy programme at the UUNet Bandwidth Barn in Cape Town. New York college graduate Meshach Ojunga-Andrew recently volunteered his services to CITI to set up a computer college for kids, which has already taught basic computer literacy to 14 children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

In another initiative, the Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded a million-dollar grant to a consortium of the Western Cape`s five higher education institutions, led by the University of the Western Cape. The consortium will carry out a three-year project to focus on the potential of ICT to enhance quality and equity in higher education.

Johannesburg`s Aurora private school has been using ICT to reinforce education delivery for some time, as well as offering certified IT training. Deputy school principal Judy Nicholas says: "The children are making full use of this tool. Their projects are neat and beautifully illustrated, they can do their research at home, and they have time to focus on real issues and take their creativity to a higher level."

The information available on the Internet is dynamic, not static and likely to become outdated as in printed textbooks.

Abrie du Preez, CEO, Futurekids

The school says its Grade Ones are using ICT to conduct a survey on where to place their school playground equipment, and they use computer software to create mind maps and design houses. Grade Two pupils are collecting data on passing traffic and presenting their data in graphical form, while Grade Fives developed spreadsheets of profit and losses during a recent market day. Grade Sevens share PowerPoint presentations with their peers and are researching different aspects of the solar system via the Web. Grade Eights and Nines are trained to become computer literate in terms of Microsoft Office packages and have the opportunity of writing their International Computer Driving Licence examinations online. A choice of Technikon-accredited courses, including A+, N+ and Graphic and Web design with Java Programming, are offered to higher grade Computer Studies pupils in Grade 10 and 11.

In contrast are schools such as those awarded technology grants by global IT company EDS this year. The schools that benefited from the grants say they are just beginning to use technology to leverage their scarce resources.

Noel Isaacs, head of department at the AZ Bermann Primary School, one of the recipients of an EDS grant, says the biggest problem facing the Mitchell`s Plain, Cape Town school is computer literacy. "Most pupils have never used computers, and the same is true of many of our educators," he says. Another inhibiting factor is the fact that the school has only 15 PCs for 1 100 pupils.

Isaacs sees the Internet as a valuable tool, particularly in schools with under-resourced libraries. "Our nearest public library is some distance away and for safety reasons parents are not happy to have children walking there. An Internet facility at the school will create an after-hours resource for research projects to complement the school library."

A good PC, Internet access and online educational content can open up a whole new world of possibilities for any child.

Russel Yeo, GM of M-Web Studios, says M-Web is increasingly focusing on sound educational content as part of its bundled Internet access offering. The company`s multimillion-rand educational offering includes study aids, reference materials and activities based on the national Curriculum 2005, as well as access to Encyclopaedia Britannica online. M-Web says its Tutor program, in which learners can ask school-related questions in an open forum, has experienced significant growth, with up to 12 000 children using the service in a month.

The GautengOnline project is a laudable aim, but I am dubious about how fast we can achieve these aims.

Tony Lelliott, Wits University School of Education,

Yeo notes that the "panic subjects" are still the most popular, and that older children are still the main users of the educational offering. However, he expects this picture to change in years to come, with increasing numbers of younger children seeking early learning content and simple games.

He points out that while exceptionally good foreign educational content is available on the Internet, there are limitations to Internet use in SA. Because there are bandwidth limitations and local users pay for the amount of time spent on the Internet, South African learners tend to want only the information, with no time-consuming animations. This is why small children who want to see animations, music and colourful graphics are best served by CD-ROM content, rather than Internet content.

Yeo is enthusiastic about the educational potential of the Internet and ICT in general. "We think it`s going to have a massive impact. In the future, rather than being taught, children will be doing their own learning."

He feels that tools such as the Internet will change the way today`s children will think as adults. "Years ago, kids had questions, but no answers. Now the Internet makes all the answers available, with a little persistence. Finding the answers equips kids with a broad set of skills, including research skills and the ability to distinguish between fact and nonsense. Now, parents buy Internet access to give their children an advantage over their peers; children need a lot more than to go to school to succeed in years to come."

Multimedia CD-ROM products also abound. Local company Master Maths develops the M2 CBT (Computer Based Training) System for Mathematics. The system, in use through a network of 62 franchised maths tutors, employs multimedia content delivered via the Internet or on CD. The company claims a 92% pass rate and reports that the Western Cape Department of Education has identified the Master Maths system as its product of choice to deploy in schools in an effort to increase the number of learners who study and pass higher grade mathematics.

"The use of curriculum-based software in the classroom and over the Internet can be of tremendous value for the education industry," says Adrie Henning, marketing manager of Master Maths. "However, in order for this to be of any real value, developers and educators must clearly determine exactly what the purpose of the software is and how it should be applied in order to derive sensible benefits from it."

Education franchise Futurekids uses specially developed software to support the outcomes-based curriculum. Futurekids SA CEO Abrie du Preez says technology reinforces learning and helps to develop the learner`s cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills. One of the company`s guiding principles is that learning should be fun and provide opportunities for creative expression.

"There are four main factors in e-learning: the human-centric element, the content, the technology and the processes used to integrate and operate technology within education," says IBM SA country GM Mark Harris.

"We feel that the human element is vital to the success of IT integration into education. In SA, there is often a resistance to technology on the part of educators. This is usually based on fear. The first step toward successful transformation of the education system is to transform the skills of the educators."

Harris points out that ICT will not replace teachers in the classroom; it will serve to add impact to lessons and allow teachers more time to meet the individual needs of pupils.

European ICT in education specialists point out that educational software has pros and cons. On one hand, access to varied information and functionality such as spreadsheets frees a child`s mind to concentrate on the higher applications of mathematical processes, for example, rather than simply on the mind-numbing task of creating the spreadsheets from scratch. On the other hand, using educational software as a means of assessing a child`s knowledge has limitations - it can assess a right or wrong answer, but it cannot easily assess a child`s creativity or intuitive understanding of a subject.

Who knows what other technology might emerge to fill the gap in education?

Tony Lelliott, Wits University School of Education,

Another factor that raises concern is threats posed to children by the Internet. Parental fears of pornography and paedophilia could stand in the way of children being allowed to fully explore the Internet`s potential. Content filtering software and services could combat most of these fears, but not all parents are aware of them.

Futurekids` Du Preez points out that while the Internet is replacing text books in many schools, not all the information available on the Net is reliable. "One of the things you have to learn when dealing with the Internet is discrimination. There is a lot of junk on the Net, but there are masses of great stuff too."

Wynand du Plessis, director of Oracle University, points out another pitfall. He says that while IT in schools initiatives mean well, they have had little impact on the quality of education in SA. "They tend to focus solely on the provision of hardware and networking infrastructure, rather than on managing the flow of crucial learning information to students."

Du Plessis believes that most independent education initiatives, even sophisticated online learning projects, are not sustainable because they lack a learning management infrastructure.

"Management is the missing element in most of these initiatives. What`s required is a system that manages and optimises the link between students and information content providers."

Lecturer Tony Lelliott of the Wits University School of Education cautions against over-enthusiasm in the rush to ICT-enable schools. "The GautengOnline project, for example, is a laudable aim, but I am dubious about how fast we can achieve these aims. Nevertheless, if only half of GautengOnline`s aims are achieved, then we can call the initiative a success."

Lelliott, who travels to schools across the country in the course of his work, says he has seen schools so far removed from the digital age that it could take them 20 years to catch up. However, he notes that wireless technology could step in with a surprise application that Internet-enables schools virtually overnight. "After all, who could have foreseen the massive spread of cellphone technology throughout Africa? Now I sometimes communicate with my teaching students in remote areas via bulk SMS. Who knows what other technology might emerge to fill the gap in education?"

There is also debate about the age at which a child should begin using ICT. Parthy Chetty, Intel`s education manager, supports the school of thought that children younger than the age of six should develop fine and gross motor skills, socialisation and basic literacy through old-fashioned play before they dive into the technology world. "My son was offered computer classes at nursery school, and I declined," he notes.

In contrast, Lelliott is in favour of an early start. "There is no evidence that using a PC at an early age is harmful. I say the sooner the better. Obviously, like all things, it should be done in moderation. I am not suggesting that a small child spend hours in front of a PC."

IBM is another proponent of the "sooner the better" approach. IBM SA is rolling out the KidSmart programme to up to 200 pre-schools around the country, to familiarise under-privileged pre-school children with technology. The programme, part of a global initiative, involves installing plastic furniture and a powerful IBM computer pre-loaded with educational software. Teachers are also trained, to help them maximise the technology`s education potential.

So far, the programme is proving a success, according to IBM SA`s Harris. Teachers report that the programme stimulates children`s interest in learning, exposes them to facets of the external environment and even increases school attendance, apparently because parents are eager for their children to develop computer skills. IBM`s corporate social responsibility department says it has found that parents in disadvantaged communities are fully aware of the importance of ICT as a fundamental tool in education.

Harris says 50 KidSmart installations were rolled out last year with another 150 to be rolled out this year. Community projects have also approached IBM about buying more of the systems.

Oracle University`s Du Plessis says online education could be the solution to the problems of managing the supply of information to students. "I am convinced that the Internet will become the universal catalyst for education in SA, but to ensure that online education meets the country`s needs, a collaborative effort - preferably headed by the government - is required."

I am convinced that the Internet will become the universal catalyst for education in SA.

Wynand du Plessis, director, Oracle University

Du Plessis calls for the establishment of a "national digital content library", a repository in which content providers would be able to place their information, which could then be accessed online by students from all education institutions and community training projects in the country.

He says such a library, coupled with the appropriate learning management system, would be able to deliver a high level of relevant and targeted content to students to supplement textbook and other training materials. It could also be used to help develop SA`s educational curriculum more efficiently, as it could allow information to be dragged-and-dropped from any part of the library to develop a new curriculum in the shortest possible time frame.

IBM`s Harris agrees that there are many challenges in terms of the actual facilities available in South African schools, but feels these can be overcome with a little innovative thinking. "This is why we are especially proud of the mobile technology lab we developed for a GautengOnline pilot project. Having notebooks that can be rolled out on a trolley and locked away again eliminates the need for a dedicated computer centre. Building a centre could cost around R250 000, and most schools just don`t have that kind of money."

It is not just the initial outlay that makes the costs of a computer lab prohibitive for many schools; maintenance and support costs can also prove huge. Harris feels this does not need to be the case. "IBM has run a pilot project in Europe, in which refurbished technology and open source software were used to save a great deal on support costs."

The lack of ICT skills on the part of teachers is a major stumbling block, but several ICT companies have recognised this and are incorporating training into their technology donations to schools. For example, Intel`s Chetty reports that an upcoming Intel project will see teachers being trained on how to integrate ICT into lessons and how to upgrade the resources they have.

Large and small IT companies have backed the GautengOnline project, which could effectively see tens of thousands of schoolchildren well-versed in IT skills by the time they emerge into the job market. Other provinces are beginning to follow suit. In addition, many major IT companies have launched smaller projects under their own steam, to supply schools or community centres with IT hardware, software and training.

Bringing better tools into the classroom doesn`t change the fact that a lot of work still has to be done by the student.

Michael Zastrocky, research director, Gartner Research

Microsoft is a staunch supporter of initiatives to take ICT into education. In a recent agreement signed with education minister Kader Asmal, Microsoft agreed to provide all 32 000 government schools perpetual free access to the use of selected Microsoft software. The agreement is estimated to save government up to R100 million per annum.

IT services company EDS is another firm that has become involved in projects to take ICT to schools in SA, this year making technology grants of around R10 000 each available to six schools that draw pupils from disadvantaged sectors. "Our aim is to support not only learning about technology but also the use of technology in delivering and enhancing education in all subjects," says Elle Botoulas, EDS`s human resources specialist. "For us, technology is the lever to help SA achieve greatness through realising its human potential through education."

Intel is to launch an Intel Computer Clubhouse in Johannesburg, to give disadvantaged children access to the best technology. The project, run in conjunction with the Youth Development Trust, entails the establishment of a hi-tech clubhouse in the Johannesburg CBD. Among the IT on offer is a fully-equipped sound lab, in which children will be able to make and digitally mix music, creating their own CDs. There will also be a similar digital video studio, as well as high-specification PCs loaded with the latest educational and gaming software. The clubhouse will be one of a global network of Computer Clubhouses, serving a total of around 50 000 children.

Intel SA also sent two South African school students to Intel`s International Science and Engineering Fair in the US this year, where one of them, Bradley Mathews from Northcliff High School, took second place prize for his design of a solar-powered, evaporative cooling system.

SchoolNet Africa is a Section 21 company operated by several organisations to promote the benefits of ICT to schools in Africa. Rodwyn Grewan, CEO of SchoolNet South Africa, says the organisation develops programmes and partnerships in teacher development and capacity building, content management and development for schools, which in turn provides collaborative opportunities for strengthening the communities to which schools are linked.

SchoolNet Africa currently has seven key projects underway under its Operation Dot learning programme. Among these are a campaign to boost connectivity in African schools and efforts to secure affordable bandwidth for African schools. The project also aims to build a knowledge warehouse to serve as a central repository of information relating to school networking in Africa.

The jury is out on whether SA will catch up to the rest of the world in the foreseeable future. While education experts voice their doubts, based on the lack of infrastructure in much of the country, major corporates appear to be doing all they can to step in and build a "digital bridge".

George Eybers, GM of Bytes Learning Solutions, is confident that IT can significantly change the face of South African education. "The fact that SA is light years behind the rest of the world is not too worrying, because with technology, you can catch up very quickly," he points out. "I`m convinced that a determined student could get through the entire 12-year curriculum in four to five years, if he wanted to."

Eybers also feels that infrastructure problems are not as serious as people may think. "There is nothing to stop donors from installing generators and satellite connections at rural schools."

He believes that the only obstacle in the way of SA`s successful bridging of the digital divide is people`s attitudes. "It`s all about people," he stresses. "The process of integrating ICT into education will falter if it is left up to individual teachers and pupils. There has to be someone in place at each school to drive the process, maintaining the actual ICT, and motivating teachers and students. We have to break the current learning culture and motivate people to move forward. This is the only way we can bridge the divide."