From Digitalization to Inequality: Implementing Education Technology Policy in Disadvantaged Schools in East Nusa Tenggara

Abstract

National digitalization policies often assume that schools possess sufficient infrastructure to adopt technology-enhanced learning. This assumption becomes problematic in disadvantaged regions where schools continue to experience shortages in electricity, internet connectivity, equipment, and technical support. This study examines the implementation gap between national education technology policy and school-level realities in disadvantaged areas of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The research focuses on how schools interpret, adapt, and negotiate technology-oriented policy requirements under conditions of infrastructural scarcity. A qualitative multiple-case study design is proposed, involving selected primary and secondary schools with different levels of technological readiness. Data are analyzed through an implementation justice framework emphasizing unequal institutional capacity, resource distribution, and policy responsiveness. The study argues that identical policy requirements can generate unequal burdens when schools operate under fundamentally different material conditions. Rather than interpreting limited technology adoption as institutional failure, the research conceptualizes it as a structural policy problem. The study further examines whether current revitalization and infrastructure interventions sufficiently address the broader ecosystem required for meaningful digital learning. It recommends integrating digital policy with infrastructure development, teacher training, maintenance systems, and context-sensitive implementation targets. The research contributes to international scholarship by demonstrating how territorial inequalities mediate the implementation of national digital education reforms.