Digital equity relates to the differences in access and usage of information and communications technology (ICT) for different people. Two-thirds of the people in so-called “developing” countries lack access to the Internet. This paper is based on the EDUsumIT 2013 Workgroup meeting.

Challenges to creating digital equity include: lack of basic infrastructure, high cost of technology, limited budget for maintenance, lack of training, shortage of teachers, and dominance of non-indigenous languages on the Internet. A particular challenge in Gabon was the little time available in the curriculum for the students to explore digital technology, reflecting, one assumes, a lack of support for the subject. Policies to support technology-enhanced learning are usually lacking across the world. Technology can foster intercultural learning. One mechanism is communication between minority groups. The example described is Navajo students collaborating with Maori students in New Zealand and learning that their minority culture experiences had much in common. Another example is a program to connect rural schools in Francophone Quebec with other schools, urban or overseas.

Indigenous communities can use ICT to support their own culture. An example is preparing and using e-books to teach local languages that would otherwise disappear. The paper recommends the establishment of a database of computer-based intercultural education and digital equity. The paper draws attention to a significant problem, the digital divide in education, and to a significant opportunity, using ICT to enhance intercultural education. The description uses a broad brush, and not much is surprising.