Systematic Review of ict in Higher Education in Mozambique: Challenges and Trends in the Post-Health Emergency

Abstract

This article presents a systematic review of the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Higher Education in Mozambique, with a focus on analysing the challenges and trends in their use in the post-health emergency period. The methodology was based on a search for articles from the last seven years on challenges and trends in the use of ICTs in education, from January 2017 to December 2023, applying the AMSTAR protocol with 9 items out of the 11 requested. The results point to the social and economic inequalities in Mozambique, which are related to the main challenges for the continued use of educational technologies. Among the challenges are the lack of adequate technological infrastructure, limited internet access, the quality of internet, and the need for teacher training in educational technology and electronic devices. In addition, the lack of clear public policies restricts the inclusion of these technologies in educational teaching by HEIs, which see them as an emergency temporary solution. However, the study identified emerging trends in the use of ICTs, including the adoption of online learning platforms, the expansion of hybrid teaching and the development of digital educational resources. These findings provide important insights for policymakers, educational administrators and teachers in the search for effective ICT integration strategies in higher education in Mozambique, especially in a post-health emergency context, where the digitalisation of education has become even more crucial. Research also shows that the adoption of educational technologies has decreased with the return to face-to-face classes. This can be attributed to the low investment in infrastructure for information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education and the gender issue, which results in reduced female participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths.