Purpose: In today's educational landscape, technology has become an undeniable force in shaping pedagogical approaches and even the definition of learning itself. But this path contains many obstacles. Within the higher education ecosystem, the digital divide -- the disparity in access and use of technology -- is proving to be a significant…

This study investigates the equity of access to government e-learning platforms for Ethiopian primary and secondary school pupils. In order to achieve this, secondary data were accessed from the Mini-Demographic and Health Survey (Mini-DHS-2019) and the Planning and Development Commission's document on Poverty and Economic Growth in Ethiopia.…

The outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide has presented an unprecedented challenge for the equity-in-education agenda, especially in developing countries of the Global South (e.g., the English-speaking Caribbean). This article examines the impact school closures have had in Jamaica and Barbados, and highlights the emerging disparities the global pandemic…

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools in 2020, the effect on rural areas was significant. Access to the internet in rural areas is limited and cost prohibitive. This article discusses why we must find ways to ensure education delivery in urban and rural areas. Unfortunately, many school systems in developing countries lack the expertise and…

Coronavirus pandemic has changed the existing norms of life all over the world. Among other areas of life, the pandemic has also hit the education sector, where recent statistics show that around 500 Million students worldwide were unable to access remote learning. In developing countries like Pakistan, which is amongst the top-twenty countries…

The current analysis aims to research the impact of ICT usage on students' achievement in the 2018 PISA assessment, specifically achievement in mathematics, science and reading scales. In this assessment, a total of 5,058 randomly selected students from 224 schools across Kosovo took part in the study. In addition, to the subscales assessing…

Since the onset of COVID-19, governments have launched technology-supported education interventions to ensure children learn. This paper offers a narrative synthesis of emerging evidence on technology-based education to understand the current experiences of learners, teachers and families. Studies find that few students in low- and middle-income…

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has a long history, one marked by the emergence of open universities, which was a critical development in the ecology of openness. Open universities have taken on significant local and global roles within the framework of meeting the needs of their respective regions of influence, and as such, their roles have…

Analysis in mid-April 2020--in the early throes of the pandemic--found that less than 25 percent of low-income countries were providing any type of remote learning, while close to 90 percent of high-income countries were. On top of cross-country differences in access to remote learning, within-country differences are also staggering. For example,…

This paper provides an in-depth analysis into two case studies aimed at addressing the digital divide in two developing countries. A detailed description is provided for each case study along with an analysis of how successful the two projects were at addressing the digital divide in Siyabuswa, South Africa and Ennis, Ireland. The two case studies…

Open educational resources (OER) have become new buzzwords in the glocalization of education. While OER are often espoused as enabling educational equity, the reality is not always the case. Looking only at the positives of new educational methods can mask perpetuating challenges, which makes the open aspect of OER a misnomer. Taking an…

It has become common place for students in historically white universities (HWUs) in South Africa to have 24 hour access to computers, the Internet, e-learning facilities, check results online and even register online. However, historically black universities (HBUs) are still battling to have access to these facilities. On a macro level, the issue…

This paper relates to some thoughts about the very different access to communication that those living in developing countries have as compared with those living in developed countries. I advocate using information technology in within my own teaching in Australia, yet from my experiences in developing countries, I know how limited access to any…