Stella O. Oyediran-Tidings Availability and accessibility of educational information to learners in selected high schools in South Africa Paper at BOBCATSSS 2017

1. AVAILABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF EDUCATIONAL
INFORMATION BY HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS IN THE
FORT BEAUFORT EDUCATION DISTRICT, EASTERN CAPE
PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA
Stella O. Oyediran-Tidings, Ezra M. Ondari-Okemwa and
Fhulu H. Nekhwevha

2. The information revolution will empower individual and
democratize everyone… Steve Jobs
Industrial
Revolution
Computer
Revolution
Internet
Revolution
Information
Revolution
Collaborative
revolution
1880
1980
1990
2010
2020
ACCESS

3. Introduction
• Information access enables the translation of citizen’s right to living
rights
• Information access is cardinal to the social inclusion and participation in
societal transformation (Adorno and Cardia, 2014).
• Despite SA achievement in school enrolment, issues such as the
suitability of the learning environment is yet to be addressed
(Mojapelo and Dube, 2014; Pathon –Ash and Wilmot, 2015).
• Inadequate provision of information resources and lack of access to
educational information (Mojapelo and Dube, 2014) remain daunting
to the quality of education in South Africa.
• Information literacy has not got the right approach by the govt (Equal
Education, 2011; Hart, 2014; Mojapelo,2015)

4. • Though, South Africa has educationally improved, yet the quality of
education in many black constituents and provinces remains low
(DBE, 2013; 2014).
• Eastern Cape is the only Province with districts performing between
an average of 50% and 59% in Matric (DBE, 2013)
• Fort Beaufort Educ. District is one of those performing between an
average of 50% and 59% consistently between 2011 and 2013 (DBE,
2014)
•What are the types of information available to high
school learners in the Fort Beaufort Education
District?
•What are the types of educational information
accessible to the Fort Beaufort high school
learners?

5. Objectives
•To identify the types of educational
information available to high school learners
in the Fort Beaufort education district.
•To discover the types of educational
information accessible to high school
learners in the Fort Beaufort education
district.

6. Theoretical Underpinning
 Jurisprudential theories of freedom of speech
Access to information is widely believed to be linked to the right to freedom of
speech and expression (Mart, 2003; Oltmann, 2009; Udofia, 2011; Smith,
2013).
Buckland (1991), Oltmann (2009) asserts that information access is
theoretically informed by jurisprudential theories of freedom of speech.
Exposure to variegated information is affirmed necessary for true learning and
invariably literacy (Blocher, 2008).
 Ribot and Peluso (2003) theory of access
 argues that access is not just “right” but the ability to benefit from something.
 The theory provides a means of connecting the right of access to information
with the structural and relational mechanisms of access to educational
information.
 The theory is found applicable in explaining “right”-based access as provided
in right to information legislations across the world and in particular in the
South African Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (South African
Government, 2000).

7. Learners access to information is conceptualised as a combination of
availability plus accessibility factors and “ability”.
Conceptually, access is represented symbolically as:
ACCESS= RIGHT (RGT) + ABILITY (ABT)
RIGHT = AVAILABILITY (AVB) + ACCESSIBILITY (ACB)
Therefore;
ACCESS= AVAILABILITY (AVB) + ACCESSIBILITY (ACB) + ABILITY (ABT)

8. “ABILITY”
“RIGHT”
Availability
Factors
(AVB)
Accessibility
Factors
(ACB)
Ability
(ABT)
1. Collection
2. Govt. Policy on Library
3. Funding by Owners
1. Location
2. Operational Time
3, ICT Tools
4. Universal Service
5. Service Support
6. Language of Collections
1. Socio-Economic
2. Support
2. Language
4. Need awareness
5. ICT Skill
6. Learner’s Information
Literacy
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOME
ACCESS
(ACC)
Conceptual Framework

9. Method
 Survey Research Design adopted
 Multi-stage sampling method,
 Sample size determined using “Raosoft”
sampling calculator.
 Quantitative Data analyzed using
measures of central tendency on SPSS
 Quantitative data analyzed using
“Atlas.ti7

10. Triangulation method adopted

11. RESPONDENTS
Male Female
Learners 158 173
Educators 9 20
158
173
9
20
NoofRespondents
Learners
Educators

12. Availability of educational information
Educational information available Overall Mean
item score
Information on class room assignments and homework 4.07
Information on requirements for admission to universities for further
studies
3.93
Guidance/ counselling information e.g. career guidance 3.79
Information on all the subjects taught at school 3.76
Information on sex education 3.76
Information on skills and vocational education 3.66
Information on reading culture 3.52
Information on developing literacy skills 3.52
Information on soft skills e.g. leadership skills, communication skills,
confidence skills etc.
3.45
Information and Communication Technologies education 3.07
Pooled Average 3.65
Readily Available Available Rarely Available Not Available Not available at all
5 4.5 3.5 2.5 1.5 1.0

13. Medium of availability of EI
Medium of Availability
Educational Information Print Electronic Verbal Others Total
Guidance and Counselling information: Such as
choice of career in tertiary institution
15
(51.7%)
2
(6.9%)
18
(62.1%)
- 35
(120.7%)
Information on all the subjects taught at school 20
(69%)
6
(20.7%)
12
(41.4%)
2
(6.9%)
40
(137.9%)
Information on requirements for admission to
universities for further studies
19
(65.5%)
5
(17.2%)
10
(34.5%)
1
(3.4%)
35
(120.7%)
Information on classroom assignments and
homework
20
(69%)
3
(10.3%)
14
(48.3%)
1
(3.4%)
38
(131.0%)
Information and Communication Technology
education
12
(41.4%)
4
(13.8%)
11
(37.9%)
4
(13.8%)
31
(106.9%)
Information on sex education 16
(55.2%)
2
(6.9%)
17
(58.6%)
2
(6.9%)
37
(127.6%)
Information on life skills and vocational
education
14
(48.3%)
3
(10.3%)
15
(51.7%)
5
(17.2%)
37
(127.6%)
Information on soft skills e.g. leadership skills,
communication skills, confidence skills etc.
14
(48.3%)
17
(58.6%)
1
(3.4%)
- 32
(110.3%)
Information on reading culture 16
(55.2%)
4
(13.8%)
14
(48.3%)
3
(10.3%)
37
(127.6%)
Information on developing literacy skills 15
(51.7%)
4
(13.8%)
15
(51.7%)
2
(6.9%)
36
(124.1%)

14. Accessible educational information
Educational Information accessible Overall MIS
Information on classroom assignment and homework. 3.92
Information on all subject taught at school 3.71
Information on developing literacy skills 3.64
Information on life skills and vocational education 3.56
Information on soft skills e.g. leadership skills, confidence etc. 3.54
Information on reading culture 3.51
Guidance and counselling information e.g. career guidance 3.36
Information on admission to universities 3.29
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) education 2.98
Information on sex education 2.94
Pooled Average 3.45
Readily Accessible Accessible Not Sure Not Accessible Not Accessible at all
5 4.5 3.5 2.5 1.5 1.0

15. Discussion
60% of listed EI were accessible
40% of the EI were not accessible
 G&C information
 Admission information
 Sex education information
 ICT education
Electronic information resources as
medium of EI availability is critically low
 Soft skill
 Ict education

16. “ABILITY”
“RIGHT”
Availabili
ty
Factors
(AVB)
Accessibili
ty Factors
(ACB)
Ability
(ABT)
1. Collection
2. Govt. Policy
on Library
3. Funding by
Owners
1. Location
2. Operational
Time
3, ICT Tools
4. Universal
Service
5. Service
Support
6. Language of
Collections
La
1. Socio-
Economic
2. Support
2. Language
4. Need
awareness
5. ICT Skill
6. Learner’s
Information
Literacy
EDUCATIONAL
OUTCOME
ACCESS
(ACC)
“ABILITY”
“RIGHT”
Availabili
ty
Factors
(AVB)
Accessibili
ty Factors
(ACB)
Ability
(ABT)
1. Collection
2. Govt. Policy
on Library
3. Funding by
Owners
1. Location
2. Operational
Time
3, ICT Tools
4. Universal
Service
5. Service
Support
6. Language of
Collections
La
1. Socio-
Economic
2. Support
2. Language
4. Need
awareness
5. ICT Skill
6. Learner’s
Information
Literacy
EDUCATIONAL
OUTCOME
ACCESS
(ACC)
Theoretical and Conceptual A Empirical/Actual B
Conclusion

17. Recommendations
•adequate provision of educational information be
made available to high school learners by
educational authorities.
•provision of functional school libraries/media
resource centre along with information technology
tools for access and information literacy education.
•engagement of librarians to facilitate robust
collection development and support access to the
educational information become imperative. This
will require an articulated legislated school library
policy.

18. THANK YOU