<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id>1990-8644</journal-id>
<journal-title><![CDATA[Conrado]]></journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title><![CDATA[Conrado]]></abbrev-journal-title>
<issn>1990-8644</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name><![CDATA[Editorial Universo Sur]]></publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id>S1990-86442024000600562</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[The implications of the digital divide on rural students enrolled in Open and Distance e-learning institutions]]></article-title>
<article-title xml:lang="es"><![CDATA[Repercusiones de la brecha digital en los estudiantes rurales matriculados en centros de aprendizaje electrónico abierto y a distancia]]></article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Gasa]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Velisiwe]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="Aff"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="Af1">
<institution><![CDATA[,University of South Africa  ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[ ]]></addr-line>
<country>South Africa</country>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="pub">
<day>00</day>
<month>12</month>
<year>2024</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>00</day>
<month>12</month>
<year>2024</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>20</volume>
<numero>101</numero>
<fpage>562</fpage>
<lpage>567</lpage>
<copyright-statement/>
<copyright-year/>
<self-uri xlink:href="http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;pid=S1990-86442024000600562&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&amp;pid=S1990-86442024000600562&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&amp;pid=S1990-86442024000600562&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="en"><p><![CDATA[ABSTRACT When compared to the semi or urban-student population, the rural student population in South Africa is far behind in technological advancement. Only a tiny percentage of the rural student population in South Africa enjoys access to technology. This digital divide is exacerbated by the uneven distribution of resources among urban and rural areas. The rural communities continue to be the most disadvantaged due to their remoteness, the ills of the past apartheid system, poverty, low income, and less access to technology. On this note, a survey of the rural student population registered in a selected Open and Distance e-learning (ODeL) institution was conducted to determine the implications of the digital divide. The data were collected from 150 students through face-to-face focus group discussions. The findings revealed that the students staying in rural communities are primarily disadvantaged due to the inaccessibility of online systems. They are isolated by their context, infrastructure, and limited access to electricity and internet services. The inaccessibility of online systems in their areas makes their learning objectives impossible to achieve. The challenges drawn from the findings indicate a need for alternative support measures. Therefore, this paper provides crucial strategies to bridge the gap and ensure equitable digital access to rural students.]]></p></abstract>
<abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="es"><p><![CDATA[RESUMEN En comparación con la población estudiantil semiurbana o urbana, la población estudiantil rural de Sudáfrica está muy atrasada en cuanto a avances tecnológicos. Solo un pequeño porcentaje de la población estudiantil rural de Sudáfrica tiene acceso a la tecnología. Esta brecha digital se ve agravada por la desigual distribución de recursos entre las zonas urbanas y rurales. Las comunidades rurales siguen siendo las más desfavorecidas debido a su lejanía, los males del pasado sistema de apartheid, la pobreza, los bajos ingresos y a que tienen menos acceso a la tecnología. En este sentido, se llevó a cabo una encuesta entre la población estudiantil rural inscrita en una institución de aprendizaje electrónico abierto y a distancia (ODeL por sus siglas en inglés) para determinar las implicaciones de la brecha digital. Los datos se recogieron de 150 estudiantes a través de grupos de discusión cara a cara. Los resultados revelaron que los estudiantes que viven en comunidades rurales son los más desfavorecidos debido a la falta de acceso a los sistemas en línea. Están aislados por su contexto, sus infraestructuras y su acceso limitado a la electricidad y a los servicios de Internet. La inaccesibilidad de los sistemas en línea en sus zonas imposibilita la consecución de sus objetivos de aprendizaje. Los desafíos identificados a partir de los hallazgos indican la necesidad de implementar medidas de apoyo alternativas. Por lo tanto, este documento ofrece estrategias cruciales para salvar la brecha y garantizar un acceso digital equitativo a los estudiantes rurales.]]></p></abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Digital divide]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Rural communities]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[E-learning]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Apartheid system]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Poverty]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Technological access]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Brecha digital]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Comunidades rurales]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Aprendizaje electrónico]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Sistema apartheid]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Pobreza]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Acceso tecnológico]]></kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
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