Digital transformation and post-Covid-19 education in South Africa: a review of literature

Little thought or speculation was given to the possibilities of digital transformation for basic education until the global Covid-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst for digital transformation in education. Given the global trends toward digital transformation of teaching and learning, the South African basic education system has not been spared. While South African education policy was put in place to drive digital transformation, challenges persist in its implementation. The aim of this study was to examine the challenges facing the South African basic education system in digital transformation and assess the strategies that can be used to mitigate these challenges. Although South Africa is attempting to address existing inequalities and the digital divide stemming from apartheid policies, the inequalities of the post-apartheid era have continued and worsened during the pandemic, resulting in a multi-layered digital divide that hinders quality and inclusive education. We adopted a narrative literature review in this study, focusing on previous studies that focused on ICT adoption, digital transformation, and inequality challenges in the South African education system. The findings make apparent the impact of the digital divide and former policies in perpetuating educational inequality. From the literature, strategies to mitigate the challenges are highlighted, including consultations.