Rural empowerment through education: Case study of a learning community telecentre in Indonesia

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development and social change in a rural telecentre in Indonesia. It attempts to contribute to the literature of ICTs for development and social change, in the field of analysis of a community-driven ICTs initiative and the analysis of an Indonesian telecentre, two research areas that had not been extensively explored. A qualitative case study approach was chosen to reveal the how ICTs are used in community empowerment in the case of Qaryah Thayyibah Learning Community, a school with a telecentre that in founded, run and funded by the community of Kalibening Village in Central Java, Indonesia. Through the application of the stakeholder theory, significant findings related to impact of ICTs for social change of the Qaryah Thayyibah Learning Community were revealed. These findings include patterns of access and participation of stakeholders in relation to ICTs. While ICTs had impacted the students of Qaryah Thayyibah, its impact had not yet been significantly experienced for the wider community outside of the school. Another important finding that emerged from the stakeholder analysis is the influence and value of the local champion in the establishment and sustainability of the ICTs initiative. In conclusion, the findings suggest that education such as that practiced in the Qaryah Thayyibah Learning Community can contribute in achieving rural empowerment, although the process may be long and complex. As this is an exploratory study investigating unquantifiable intangible impacts, further research can focus more on these intangible impacts through different lenses such as culture, power dynamics and social relations.