Collisions between the Worldviews of International ICT Policy-Makers and a Deep Rural Community in South Africa: Assumptions, Interpretation, Implementation, and Reality

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand and learn from the collisions between the underlying assumptions embedded in UNESCO's ICT Competency Standards for Teachers policy framework and the realities that face a deep rural Afrocentric community in South Africa. These collisions ultimately are about the manifestation of a deeper issue, namely collisions between worldviews. Although some preliminary issues regarding policy conflicts are highlighted, the primary focus is on understanding collisions that have emerged from the community entry phases of policy alignment and the introduction of the ICT for Development (ICT4D) artifact. A critical theoretical underpinning is presented which also constitutes the departing values and thinking pursued by a team of academics which, in collaboration with local community visionaries, facilitates ongoing ICT training initiatives in the community. The author writes from his position as the “outsider” champion in this project; and due to his commitment and the length of time that he has been immersed in the training and all other aspects of the project, an ethnographic approach is adopted. The paper contributes to ICT4D discourses by representing a South African perspective on the international ICT policy frameworks. Consequently, compelling issues for further research are highlighted, including examples and practical guidelines for international ICT policy alignment and implementation in the deep rural Afrocentric context.