From Pilot Projects to Sustainable Integration: Exploring Teacher Experiences in EdTech Implementation in South African Township Schools
Keywords:
Educational Technology (EdTech); Sustainability; Township schools; Teacher experiencesAbstract
The integration of educational technology (EdTech) in South African township schools has been widely promoted as a strategy for improving teaching and learning, yet questions remain about the sustainability of this effort. This study explored the experiences of teachers in Cosmo City Township to understand the enduring challenges shaping technology use in an under-resourced school environment. Employing a qualitative, cross-sectional design, data were gathered through written responses from purposively selected teachers who had direct engagement with EdTech initiatives. A thematic analysis revealed that unreliable infrastructure, inconsistent maintenance, and insufficient financial planning significantly hinder long-term sustainability. Teachers also reported inadequate professional development, often limited to a short technical workshop, as well as limited involvement in the decision-making process — factors that contributed to misalignment between policy aspirations and classroom realities. As a result, many relied on low-tech tools, such as projectors and WhatsApp, which were more feasible in overcrowded classrooms with poor connectivity. The findings further highlight the persistence of the digital divide, which disproportionately disadvantaged township learners, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the UTAUT and Smart Education Framework, the study illustrates how infrastructural, socio-economic, and policy constraints shape teachers’ adoption and continued use of technology. These insights add to the growing body of literature on digital sustainability in South Africa’s township schools. The study calls for long-term investment, ongoing teacher support, and participatory policymaking to foster more equitable and sustainable EdTech integration.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.1.37
References
Antoninis, M., Alcott, B., Al Hadheri, S., April, D., Barakat, B. F., Barrios Rivera, M., Baskakova, Y., Barry, M., Bekkouche, Y., Caro Vasquez, D., & D’Addio, A. C. (2023). Global education monitoring report 2023: Technology in education: A tool on whose terms? https://doi.org/10.54676/UZQV8501
Bawa, I., & Bawa, S. (2025). Bridging EdTech gaps: Examining learning equity in low-income educational settings. International Journal of Educational Development, 118, 103398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103398
Buzuzi, A. N., & Chigona, A. (2021). Mathematics teachers’ integration of technology for pedagogical use in a less affluent high school in the Western Cape. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1369–1378). https://doi.org/10.18275/20210410-00004
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), pp.77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cheng, K., H.Y., Chen, Y.C., Yu, Y.C. & Ju, Y.Y. (2025). Policy drivers and barriers to inclusive EdTech adoption in special education: A logistic regression study. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2025.2528107
Chisango, G. & Marongwe, N. (2021). The digital divide at three disadvantaged secondary schools in Gauteng, South Africa, Journal of Education (University of KwaZulu-Natal), 82, 149-165. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i82a09
Demir, K. A. (2021). Smart education framework. Smart Learning Environments, 8(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-021-00170-x
Department of Education. (2004). White Paper on e-education. Government Gazette, 236734. https://www.gov.za/documents/white-papers/white-paper-e-educationtransforming-learning-and-teaching-through
Dube, B. (2020). Rural online learning in the context of COVID-19 in South Africa: Evoking an inclusive education approach. REMIE: Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research, 10(2), 135–157. http://dx.doi.org/10.447/remie.2020.5607
Gudmundsdottir, G. (2010). From digital divide to digital equity: Learners’ ICT competence in four primary schools in Cape Town, South Africa. International Journal of Education and Development Using ICT, 6(2), 84–105. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1084980
Hart, S.A. (2023). Identifying the factors impacting the uptake of educational technology in South African schools: A systematic review. South African Journal of Education, 43(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n1a2174
Huang, R., Liu, D., Kanwar, A. S., Zhan, T., Yang, J., Zhuang, R., Liu, M., Li, Z., & Adarkwah, M. A. (2024). Global understanding of smart education in the context of digital transformation. Open Praxis, 16(4), 663–676. https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.16.4.761
Isaacs, S. (2007). ICT in education in South Africa. In Survey of ICT and Education in Africa: South Africa Country Report (Report No. 10659, pp. 15–54). World Bank. https://hdl.handle.net/10986/10659
Khumalo, S. S. (2022). Critical analysis of Bantu Education Act of 1953 and implications on COVID 19 pandemic in black schools: A social justice perspective. Social Sciences, Humanities and Education Journal (SHE Journal), 3(2), 260–271. https://doi.org/10.25273/she.v3i2.12739
Kim, H. J., & Jang, H. Y. (2020). Sustainable technology integration in underserved area schools: The impact of perceived student change on teacher continuance intention. Sustainability, 12(12), 4802. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124802
Lincoln, Y. S., Lynham, S. A., & Guba, E. G. (2011). Paradigmatic controversies, contradictions, and emerging confluences, revisited. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research (4th ed., pp. 97–128). Sage.
Mahlo, L., & Waghid, Z. (2022). Examining information and communication technology use in public primary schools in South Africa from the capability approach. The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 18(1), Article a1201. https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v18i1.1201
Marikyan, M., & Papagiannidis, P. (2021). Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. TheoryHub. https://open.ncl.ac.uk/theories/2/unified-theory-of-acceptance-and-use-of-technolog
Masango, M. M., & L., & Graham, M. A. (2020). Barriers to the implementation of electronic textbooks in rural and township schools in South Africa. Africa Education Review, 17(6), 86–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2022.2064310
Mashiyane, D. M., Masuku, M. M., & Maphumulo, M. N. (2024). Powerless to learn: Load shedding and its impact on teaching and learning in South African schools. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(6), 3959–3968.
Mathebula, N. Z., Moila, O., Maile, S., & Mnisi, S. (2025). Inadequate teacher training as a barrier to ICT integration in early childhood education: A case of selected primary schools in Tshwane West District Circuit 4. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(3), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.3.3
Mkhize, T. R., & Davids, M. N. (2021). Towards a digital resource mobilisation approach for digital inclusion during COVID-19 and beyond: A case of a township school in South Africa. Educational Research for Social Change, 10(2), 18–32. https://doi.org/10.17159/2221-4070/2021/v10i2a2
Mnisi, A. (2023). Evaluation of factors that hinder the implementation and effectiveness of e education in Mpumalanga [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand]. Wits Institutional Repository. https://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/43960
Msila, V. (2015). Teacher readiness and information and communications technology (ICT) use in classrooms: A South African case study. Creative Education, 6(18), 1973–1981. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2015.618202
Mulaudzi, L. (2024). Evaluating impact: South Africa’s e education White Paper on digital equity and post COVID education leadership. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2415749. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2415749
Mwapwele, S. D., Marais, M., Dlamini, S., & Van Biljon, J. (2019). Teachers’ ICT adoption in South African rural schools: A study of technology readiness and implications for the South Africa Connect broadband policy. The African Journal of Information and Communication, 24, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.23962/10539/28658
OECD (2023). Country digital education ecosystems and governance: A companion to Digital Education Outlook 2023. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/906134d4-en
Pillay, I. (2021). The impact of inequality and COVID 19 on education and career planning for South African children of rural and low socioeconomic backgrounds. African Journal of Career Development, 3(1), a36. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajcd.v3i1.36
Ramorola, M. Z. (2013). Challenge of effective technology integration into teaching and learning. Africa Education Review, 10(4), 654–670. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2013.853559
Rasool, K. N., & Naidoo, P. (2024). The sustainability of information and communication technology (ICT) in previously disadvantaged public schools in Gauteng, South Africa. South African Journal of Education, 44(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v44n1a2302
Rodriguez-Segura, D. (2022). EdTech in developing countries: A review of the evidence. The World Bank Research Observer, 37(2), 171–203. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkab011
Sadiki, A., Tshifhumulo, R., Mpatlanyane, V., & Amaechi, K. E. (2023). Undergraduate students’ experiences with electronic learning platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic at a rural-based tertiary institution in South Africa. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 22(8), 83–103. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.8.5
Saputra, W. N. E., Wahyudi, A., Supriyanto, A., Muyana, S., Rohmadheny, P. S., Ariyanto, R. D., & Kurniawan, S. J. (2021). Student perceptions of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: A study of phenomenology. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(3), 1515-1528. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.3.1515
Sehlako, N. (2023). The role of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in increasing/decreasing educational inequalities in South Africa: A case of Operation Phakisa [Master’s dissertation, University of Johannesburg] University of Johannesburg Repository. https://hdl.handle.net/102000/0002
Spaull, N. (2015). Schooling in South Africa: how low quality education becomes a poverty trap. In A. de Lannoy, S. Swartz, L. Lake, and C. Smith (Eds.), South African Child Gauge 2015. Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town.
Van Jaarsveld, L., & Van der Walt, J. L. (2018). A critical look at a technologically sophisticated initiative to address the problem of unequal educational opportunities in South Africa. Educational Research for Social Change, 7(2), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.17159/2221-4070/2018/v7i2a2
Vandeyar, T. (2021). ICT policy appropriation: Teachers as transformative ICT agents. Perspectives in Education, 39(4). https://doi.org/10.38140/pie.v39i4.5466
Van Niekerk, M., & Blignaut, S. (2014). A framework for information and communication technology integration in schools through teacher professional development. Africa Education Review, 11(2), 236–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2014.927159
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425–478. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
Xue, L., Rashid, A. M., & Ouyang, S. (2024). The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) in higher education: A systematic review. SAGE Open, 14(1), Article 21582440241229570. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241229570
Yu, J., Vidal, Q., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2023). Digital teaching and learning resources. OECD Publishing.
Zenex Foundation. (2022). Learning with technology in low-income households in times of disruption. Zenex Foundation. https://www.zenexfoundation.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Learning-with-technology-in-low-income-households-in-times-of-disruptions.pdf
Zhuang, R., Liu, D., Sampson, D., Mandic, D., Zou, S., Huang, Y., & Huang, R. (Eds.). (2023). Smart education in China and central & eastern European countries. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7319-2
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nobuhle Nothando Mncube, Rehana Minty
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All articles published by IJLTER are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivatives 4.0 International License (CCBY-NC-ND4.0).
