Community-Supported Digital Inclusion in Rural Secondary Schools: Evidence from Nkangala District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Digital inclusion remains a challenge in rural South African secondary schools, where inadequate infrastructure, limited connectivity, financial constraints and uneven teacher digital capabilities restrict meaningful technology integration. This study explored stakeholders’ perceptions of the contribution of community-supported digital inclusion initiatives to digital integration and perceived learner engagement in five rural secondary schools in Nkangala District, Mpumalanga Province. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm and Social Capital Theory and Human Capital Theory, the study employed a qualitative exploratory design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 school administrators and five community leaders, five focus group discussions involving 25 teachers, and document analysis. Thematic analysis using a hybrid inductive-deductive approach generated five themes: 4IR relevance and readiness; institutional barriers and sustainability; community partnerships and strategic planning; pedagogical adaptation; and community-supported capacity-building and teacher agency. Findings indicate that stakeholders perceived community initiatives as facilitating access to devices, connectivity, training, technical support and partnerships. Teachers also reported adapting their practices through peer learning, experimentation and contextually appropriate technologies. However, sustainability was constrained by infrastructure deficiencies, limited maintenance resources, bureaucratic delays, inadequate institutional planning and dependence on external partners. The study conceptualises rural digital inclusion as an adaptive, relational and institutionally mediated process shaped by community networks, teacher capabilities and institutional conditions. Sustainable inclusion requires continuous teacher development, participatory school-level digital planning, strategic partnerships, reliable infrastructure and stronger institutional support. Community initiatives should complement, rather than replace, the state’s responsibility to address structural digital inequalities.