Learning Without a Signal: Digital Justice in Technology-Based Education Policy Implementation in East Sumba

Abstract

Digital transformation has become an important component of contemporary education policy, yet its benefits are unevenly distributed across regions. In remote areas, limited internet connectivity, electricity, digital devices, and teacher capacity can prevent students from fully participating in technology-based learning. This study investigates digital justice in the implementation of technology-oriented education policy in East Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. It examines how infrastructural and socioeconomic inequalities shape students’ and teachers’ ability to benefit from digital education initiatives. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research draws on policy documents and perspectives from teachers, students, school leaders, parents, and local policymakers. Digital justice is conceptualized as more than equal access to devices; it encompasses meaningful connectivity, digital competence, quality of content, and the capacity to use technology for educational participation. The study argues that national digitalization policies may unintentionally reproduce educational inequality when implementation assumes infrastructure and digital readiness that are not equally available across territories. The research therefore advocates a differentiated policy approach in which digital transformation is accompanied by investments in connectivity, electricity, teacher capacity, offline learning alternatives, and community-based digital support. The study contributes to debates on digital education policy by foregrounding territorial inequality within national digital transformation agendas.