Bridging the digital divide to promote inclusive education in Zimbabwean rural secondary schools: A case of Mwenezi District

The implementation of an updated curriculum in Zimbabwe has come against the backdrop of unequal communities with the digital divide presenting glaring inequalities.Secondary schools located in urban areas are privileged to have access to modern ICT facilities and network support.This means the adoption and implementation of an updated curriculum in such schools is poised to proceed with little challenges.Meanwhile, the position of secondary schools in rural areas is mostly compromised especially among schools located in remote parts and resettlement areas in Zimbabwe.Using key informant and individual interviews as well as document analysis, the study foregrounds the need to improve network coverage and erect rural solar projects to cushion both learners and teachers from the obtaining challenges of digital divide.With a total of sixteen satellite secondary schools, the district is lagging behind in enhancing effective learning through ICT integration into the curriculum.The idea of "using computers to learn, rather than learning to use computers" will be elusive if the said schools are not supported.The satellite schools are devoid of infrastructural, hardware and software that can support full implementation of the updated curriculum which is augmented by an ICT superstructure.Using the Inclusive Education theory, this study therefore recommends a raft of measures to enable both teachers and learners in Mwenezi District to meet the demands of the 21st century curriculum which should be problem solving and practicable.Policy Implementers should consider the obtaining challenges which affect the implementation of inclusive education in Zimbabwe in general and rural areas in particular.