ICT Policies and Strategies in Higher Education in South Africa: National and Institutional Pathways

Abstract

This paper focuses on policy initiatives and strategies used to promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in higher education in South Africa. It explores a wider international outlook and current debates in South Africa to map out an emerging South African perspective concerning the integration of ICT in higher education. It also provides a brief survey of key policy developments on e-education in general to contextualize the use of ICTs. In doing so, the paper addresses the following questions: What general goals do policy makers in South Africa express in national policy documents for the integration of ICT in the education system? What is the role of government regarding the use of ICT in higher education? What policies and strategies for ICT do leaders of South African higher education institutions develop? How do South African national priorities and higher education institutional strategies match? Higher Education Policy (2007) 20, 73-95.

A Study on Awareness of Trained Teachers in relation to Information and Communication Technology

“…ICT is one of the effective medium to impart education and it has become an exhortation in Indian education system. Cross and Adam (2007), and Bhattacharya and Sharma (2007), found that ICT eliminated time barriers in education for learners as well as teacher. It eliminates geographical barriers as learners can log on from any place.…”

Students’ Perceptions of the Use of ICT in a Higher Education Teaching and Learning Context: The Case of a South African University

“…Cross and Adam (2007) opined that such policy initiatives and strategies were critical to national, social and economic development goals. Using the South African higher education landscape, Cross and Adam (2007) argued that despite ICT usage having increased, most institutions did not have comprehensive institutional visions or strategies on ICT use. The policies are part of the broader institutional imperatives and the intents and purposes of vary from institution to institution.…”

A study of the relationship between institutional policy, organisational culture and e-learning use in four South African universities

“…Institutional funding policy changes, organisational restructuring and changed student profiles (Bunting 2004) have gone hand in hand with changes in institutional cultures, these being contested, debated and researched. At the individual institutional level, therefore, it is essential to note that the implementation of ICTs is mediated by institutional academic legacies and micro politics (Kulati 2003;Jansen 2004;Cross & Adams 2007). This paper acknowledges but cannot address the complexities of these local institutional dynamics at the individual level.…”

“…It is also of note that South Africa does not have a specific national educational technology policy, which means that institutional level strategic decisions are not being driven by national level government imperatives or funding. While government commitment to the new economic order and participation in the knowledge society is evident in numerous policy documents 3 Cross & Adams 2007), the fact that institutional policies are not being led by national government policies is in stark contrast to many countries in the rest of the world. This paper is structured by beginning with the conceptual framework used to frame policy and organisational culture, then describing the specifics of the study and analysis.…”