Digital globalisation and educational inequalities access, infrastructure, and pedagogy in marginalised regions
Ndanduleni Bernard Nthambeleni · Masa Sylvester Motadi ORCID ↗
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2025 · Vol. 7 / Issue 5 · 496-509
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Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC
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Abstract
This study conducts a thorough analysis of contemporary literature (2020–2025) regarding the impact of digital globalisation on educational inequality in South Africa's marginalised regions, focussing on the interrelated aspects of access, infrastructure, and pedagogy. This systematic literature review synthesises evidence from worldwide and South African contexts to demonstrate how enduring inequities in broadband access, affordability, and institutional capability hinder fair participation in digital learning. Rural provinces like Limpopo and Eastern Cape continue to be disproportionately impacted by inadequate connectivity, elevated data expenses, and insufficient teacher digital knowledge. The results reveal three primary themes: (1) physical and socio-economic obstacles to access, (2) infrastructural and institutional limitations, and (3) educational deficiencies stemming from culturally insensitive digital design. The paper presents a three-dimensional equity paradigm that integrates these domains to inform inclusive digital education policy. It advocates for infrastructure expansion, ongoing affordability initiatives, comprehensive digital literacy training, and legislative frameworks that incorporate equity criteria to guarantee that digital globalisation fosters change rather than exclusion within South Africa's educational system.
Keywords: {'name': 'Digital Globalisation; Educational Inequality; Access; Infrastructure; pedagogy; South Africa; equity; digital literacy; marginalised regions; ICT in education.'}
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Ndanduleni Bernard Nthambeleni
University of Venda
Masa Sylvester Motadi
University of Venda
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