<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-10"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Canadian e-Magazine of International Education]]></title><description><![CDATA[Articles]]></description><link>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/</link><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright Canadian e-Magazine of International Education]]></copyright><generator>sNews CMS</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Global South and Internationalization]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
University engagement with the Global South is long-standing. At many Canadian universities, international linkages began with development projects in the South. Today, with the internationalization of higher education, this engagement has extended beyond development cooperation and the enrolment of international students to a much wider range of activities. These include research collaboration, student mobility, and the integration of international and intercultural perspectives into the teaching, learning and service functions of the university.
  

  
This past spring, York University held a two-day symposium on the Global South and Internationalization. It was intended to provide an opportunity to discuss and analyze contemporary challenges and practices in the internationalization of Canadian universities with respect to the Global South. 
  
  
The five articles contained in this edition of   e-MAGINED   originally were given as presentations at the spring symposium. They reflect some of the themes that emerged during the two days: questions of equity in partnerships, of cultural perspective, and of breadth of connection. One of the great challenges that was raised over and over again, not surprisingly, in establishing useful, equitable, productive partnerships today is the question of funding. Today in Canada, the public funding scene for international activity is changing rapidly, as some organizations such as CIDA re-think their strategies and others like SSHRC and NSERC implement new programs. At the same time, the competition for private funding increases - making it ever more difficult to secure funds from that quarter for working with the Global South.
  
  
We hope that these articles will either reinforce our readers’ views or stimulate new ideas on linking with the Global South. The articles were originally issued as speeches and presentations. They have been edited slightly so they may be read more easily as articles and stories. As always, we welcome your comments.
  
As well, we would like you to write for us. The deadline for the next issue is November 30, 2008. Submissions or questions (noting e-MAGINED in the subject line) should be sent to: 
  
  

Carol Irving  
Executive Editor  
cirving (at) yorku (dot) ca  

  
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:09:28 +0000</pubDate><link>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/editorials/global-south-and-internationalization/</link><guid>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/editorials/global-south-and-internationalization/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Knowledge to Policy: ]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
For almost 40 years now, my own organization, the   International Development Research Centre   (IDRC), has been supporting development research in developing countries. So you are addressing, in your own discussions, questions that go to the core of IDRC’s founding purpose and parliamentary mandate.
  

  
Canadian universities have built a long tradition of collaboration in research and scholarship in developing countries around the world. But as you have rightly recognized in your work this week, the dynamics of development and development research—and of North-South cooperation—have undergone radical changes in recent years.
  
  
For one thing, the time has passed when the South could be treated as a more-or-less passive object of study by Northern researchers. In many developing countries, Southern researchers are earning and asserting global leadership in the discovery and application of new knowledge. Indeed, this phenomenon reflects IDRC’s enduring mission—to support research in developing countries, by the researchers of those countries, to advance the progress of their own development.
  
  
The second reality to be acknowledged in the dynamics of North-South research is our stronger understanding that rich and poor countries, more and more, share common problems—whether in the globalization of infectious diseases, or climate change, or the risky turbulence of interconnected financial markets.
  

  Global Imperative  

  
Confronting these problems is a shared, global imperative. But that is not to say we should always be looking for (or expecting) global solutions. On the contrary, solving many of these problems will usually proceed by improving domestic public policy, whether it be in a developing country or a wealthy democracy.
  
  
Of course, much can be done to improve global governance. But as a practical matter, and for the foreseeable future, the governance that will count most for development is domestic governance. This means that researchers interested in promoting sustainable and democratic development must think strategically about improving the quality of governance in their own country.

And this brings me to my central point. To improve lives, especially the lives of poor people, development research will almost always have to influence policy in order to influence development. In short, getting a new research discovery into policy and practice is just as important—just as urgent—as getting to the discovery itself.
  
  
Now, I am happy to affirm that influencing public policy is certainly not the only proper objective of research in a university setting. But, more often than not, policy influence is a necessary objective of development research. And I dare say that promoting development inspires a large part of your energies and efforts in engaging with your developing-country colleagues.
  

  Development Research  

  
So I return to my argument. Development research, to have effect, must sooner or later influence government policy and action.
  
  
This is not, on reflection, a very controversial observation. What is remarkable, therefore, is how little is understood by researchers—in universities or anywhere else—about how to insert their research and discoveries into the policy processes of their own country.
  
  
The stark fact is that tens of millions of dollars have been invested in research on development in the last several decades, and yet—until recently—hardly any attention has been given to whether, or how, the research is actually influencing public policy.
  
  
Some years ago, IDRC set out to fill in that knowledge gap. We undertook a large-scale multi-year, multi-case strategic evaluation to uncover how research supported by IDRC had—or had not—affected public policy and decision-making.
  
  
The results have been illuminating—and a little unsettling. We have already published some of the findings, and a comprehensive summing-up will be presented in a forthcoming book.
  
  
But let me share with you some insights from the evaluation that might be helpful in your own endeavours.
  
  
First of all, there are no “best practices” when it comes to influencing policy with research. Each circumstance in each country is different, and will call for a particular strategic approach.
  
  
And this is the second lesson learned: Research teams—donors, Canadian partners, developing-country researchers themselves—need to build policy considerations into their development research projects from start to finish, from conception to completion.
  
  
They need to see their own work as one part of the policy process. Which is to say, they need to form some understanding of the politics and procedures of policy-making—the obstacles and opportunities for influencing policy, the needs and preferences of policymakers, the interplay of bureaucrats and politicians, and the various levels of government that contend for authority and resources in any country, rich or poor.
  
  
Researchers aiming to influence policy need to sense the flow of events. We have learned, for example, that countries in transition (I am thinking of Vietnam and South Africa, among others) can present sudden openings for researchers to influence policy in new directions. Sometimes researchers exert influence by becoming policymakers themselves.
  
  
But influence does not happen reliably by accident. It happens with greatest effect when the intent to influence policy informs the design of the research, its execution, and its communication to the policy community.
  
  
Communication is crucial, again at every stage of research. Researchers can profitably engage with policymakers early in a project’s design—absorbing from policy people how they see their own policy problems, and alerting them to the advantages of evidence-based solutions. As research findings emerge, those early investments in relationship-building can pay off in later access to decision-makers and administrators.
  

  Lasting Influences  

  
And there is another lesson in our evaluation. In the end, influence that is lasting, that produces real change, is not about affecting a singular policy, or statute or regulation.
  
  
Lasting influence for development is about expanding the capacity of the policy community—the capacity to analyze and convert new knowledge into practical policy and action.
  
  
Research achieves lasting influence by broadening policy horizons—introducing the policy community to new ways of thinking about, and resolving, their own policy problems. Quite often, research can break policy deadlocks and zero-sum stalemates by creating entirely new policy options.
  
  
And research achieves lasting influence by improving the procedures of decision-making—for governance that is more open, more informed, more effective, and more accountable. This is influence that endures, by promoting development that is sustainable and democratic.
  
  
Influence like this is all the more powerful when the research has been designed and carried out with participation of local communities. Drawing on indigenous knowledge, informing communities with the fresh knowledge to hold governments to account—this is how research can empower people to make their own development progress.
  
  
For most of us in the North, and especially in Northern universities, all of these dynamics establish the inescapable logic of research networks and other forms of partnerships. Experience proves how North-South partnerships can capture economies of scale, assemble and disseminate diversities of knowledge, mobilize public opinion, and help to secure influence with policymakers.
  
  
Research and learning, by their nature, are almost always collaborations. Partnerships serve to organize these collaborations for better effect. Sometimes research partnerships work best when they include members of the policy community—people who can help frame practical questions, and give effect to practical answers.
  
  
I will offer a specific example of IDRC’s own close and extensive partnerships with Canadian scholars and universities. Last month, Ryerson University’s Centre for Studies in Food Security launched a Web-based distance-education course called “Understanding Urban Agriculture.” The course has been developed by Dr. Joe Nasr, a former IDRC project coordinator, in collaboration with a Dutch-based resource centre which itself receives IDRC funding. Moreover, the course content draws heavily on IDRC materials, including a book on urban farming, all accessible online. And because of strong demand from students in Canada and in developing countries, more courses in urban agriculture are now being planned at Ryerson.
  

  Successful Partnership Models  

  
At IDRC, encouraged by such innovations, we have been re-examining successful partnership models, and experimenting with new approaches. And we have dramatically increased the opportunities for North-South cooperation, adding new money—and new programs—to support collaborations between Canadian scholars and Southern researchers. Let me mention just a few.
  
  
Some of you are familiar with the Global Health Research Initiative. GHRI is a partnership of four Canadian agencies—Health Canada; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; IDRC; and CIDA, the Canadian International Development Agency. GHRI funds and facilitates innovative, interdisciplinary research and training in the health priorities of low- and middle-income countries. The object is to build research capacity, both in developing countries and in Canada. The Teasdale-Corti Health Research grants—a centrepiece of GHRI—has been funded with $12.8 million from IDRC (and a matching amount from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) with a focus on such issues as the control of pandemics, and the interactions of human health with the environment.
  
  
I would also mention the International Partnership Initiative, launched by IDRC and the Networks of Centres of Excellence. As you know, the Networks of Centres of Excellence program is a unique partnership of government departments and agencies, universities, industry and not-for-profit organizations. The International Partnership Initiative supports linkages between the NCEs and developing-country researchers. IDRC has committed up to $2 million to this Initiative over five years, and the NCEs have committed up to $5 million. By way of example: Here at York, Professor Jianhong Wu is leading a Canadian-Chinese collaboration in producing mathematical models for the spread of diseases such as Asian flu and tuberculosis.
  
  
The third arrangement I would mention is the International Community-University Research Alliance Program, set up last year by IDRC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The object here is precisely to invest in teams of Canadian and developing-country researchers engaging directly with local communities in developing countries. The program is encouraging research in areas such as natural resource management, information and communication technologies for development, poverty reduction, and human rights. The Council and IDRC have each made five-year, $3-million commitments to these international Alliances. 
  
  
And finally, there is the International Research Chairs Initiative, jointly organized by IDRC and the Canada Research Chairs Program. This is an initiative just launched in December last year, and will pair leading researchers from Canadian universities with counterparts in developing countries. These teams will address research questions of significance both to Canada and to the developing world. IDRC’s own commitment to the International Research Chairs—matching that of the Canada Research Chairs Program—is $5 million.
  
  
These are sizeable programs, by any measure. But IDRC is agile enough to respond at a much smaller scale when special opportunities arise.
  
  
To cite another York University example: Professor Stuart Shanker is leading a team of Canadian, Mexican and Cuban researchers to better understand the impressive performance recorded by Cuba’s program of early childhood education. This is a model of family-integrated childhood development that has yielded far better scholastic results—and fewer developmental problems—than one might expect from Cuba’s social-economic profile. Professor Shanker’s research can inform policy well beyond Cuba. In fact, he took a group of Canadian Senators to Cuba not long ago to see for themselves how Cuban lessons might be applied here. IDRC is providing $100,000 to the Shanker team to support a pilot study and help embark on a larger research project.
  
  
In conclusion, I hope you will allow me simply to salute your own work with partners in developing countries. These are the collaborations that can generate new knowledge for real influence—and better governance for better futures.
  



  
  Author's Information  
  

  

  
Maureen O’Neil is the president if the   International Development Research Centre   (IDRC) in Ottawa, Canada.
  

  
© 2008 Maureen O’Neil. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
  



]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:51:33 +0000</pubDate><link>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/internationalization-policy-and-strategy/knowledge-to-policy-development-research-influence-and-governance/</link><guid>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/internationalization-policy-and-strategy/knowledge-to-policy-development-research-influence-and-governance/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Accepting Africa on Africa’s Terms]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
I spent the summer of 2007 teaching at Wikondiek Primary and Secondary School in rural Western Kenya. As this was not my first time in Africa, I was able to see to an even greater extent some of the difficulties with constructing a Western-based “meaning” out of the experience, and this led me to do some serious questioning and reflecting on the ways in which our interactions with Africa are based on an inherent unequal dynamic that affects how we from the West evaluate and benefit from our experiences there, sometimes – I would dare to say usually – at the expense of the communities we are claiming to assist. 
  
 
  
Just to give a bit of background on the circumstances that I and my students and colleagues were in, Wikondiek is a poor village with a significantly high HIV rate and a high number of orphans. None of my students had both parents living; a few had a mother or father present, but the vast majority lived either with relatives or on their own, often at the age of 15 or 16 and caring for younger siblings. Most of the students are supported financially either by Western sponsors or wealthier Kenyans. This experience in Africa was quite different from my first, in that I was not alone travelling, but living in a community and working within a professional framework at the school. When this is the case, as with an overseas teaching job or internship or volunteer program, there are a set of expectations on behalf of the teacher as well as the institution sending them overseas. This was quite evident in the type of responses and comments I received about my internship in Kenya. Any time I’ve been in Africa, the number one question is “What did you do there?” (“What did you eat there?” follows at a close second). Once I say I was teaching, I am told a) what a magnificent human being I am; b) how much good I am doing in the world or c) how I should be proud of changing peoples’ lives for the better. Now, I am a person who cannot accept unfounded flattery, and these accolades are all, unfortunately for me, unfounded. They do, however, show very clearly the different mindset from which the West approaches interactions with Africa: one of a helper-helpee dynamic. My friends and colleagues who have taught in Australia or Japan or England have never had their work gilded with such significance; – there is more of an equal exchange assumed from such a placement. In the case of Africa, however, expectations seem to be grounded in a benevolence that is at best somewhat misguided but well-intentioned, and at worst, paternalistic and presumptuous. 
  
  
It was my frustration with this mindset that prompted me to delve deeper into these issues. This unequal cultural dynamic tends to influence one’s expectations and evaluation of a professional experience in Africa in such a way that all is assessed on Western terms, which I did not want to do. I thus examined some key aspects with this in mind: the competence and skills that one is expected to hone in Africa and from whose perspective these are acceptable, whether such outcomes are desirable or even always possible, and lastly, how what is learned in Africa, regardless of whether it is the outcome one was expecting, can be incorporated into teaching across boundaries in order to give back to both one’s home and one’s host community. 
  
  Expectations and Evaluations  
  
First, when organizations send individuals from the West to Africa, there is certainly something that the traveller is expected to gain from the journey. I know many people who completed two-year teaching placements with   CUSO   (Canadian University Services Overseas) or did volunteer teaching with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), and these seem to be experiences held in great esteem. I have been told countless times how my internship in Kenya is a fantastic experience to put on a resume and that it will be of great help in getting a teaching position in Canada – but I wanted to look deeper and discover why that would be the case. What does teaching in Africa give me, as a Westerner? There are of course hard skills that one would associate with this: making do with very little material and resources, being inventive, dealing with rough living and working conditions. This forces one to be highly adaptive, creative, hard-working, etc., but this kind of evaluation has an underlying Western bias in that it assumes a quantifiable, measurable outcome that can be packaged and sold. However, value and merit are not matters pertaining to the individual in Africa – whatever you do is not for you, and the fruits of actions belong both to the giver and the receiver: meaning is constructed communally. This is a very difficult notion for a Westerner, and one that often leads to a sense of failure or of not meeting expectations. 
  
  
In Wikondiek, I recall being very disheartened at the results of my students’ final exams. The majority failed miserably, despite my long hours of reviewing topics and making myself constantly available outside of class time. I felt I was useless – my students failed despite my having most of the hard skills I mentioned earlier. However, outside of class I had taught a group of about 50 students to perform Ghanaian and Beninese song and dance, a performance which allowed us to go up to the provincial music competition; and I also shared Nigerian call and response poetry that spoke about the realities of post-colonial Africa. These things were not in the curriculum, but these are what I was thanked for. What the community valued was seeing a white person, someone from whom they normally feel a great distance and a sense of inferiority, interested in music from their continent, speaking about issues that mattered to them, learning their language in a way that was open and genuine. Only one person, in fact, ever commented on my teaching itself; all, however, mentioned in some way or another the spirit with which I taught. Evaluating such an experience in terms of skills acquired can not only make one feel they are not measuring up, but it can also be rather pretentious in that it implies one reality being more valid than another. If anything, when one is a guest in a country, it should be the host’s interpretation that carries the most weight. Being able to see one’s value from the perspective of one’s students and community can be a humbling and important step in realizing one’s own bias, and this awareness can be helpful in redefining the expectations and outcomes of an experience in a more balanced and fair way for both sides. 
  
  
Re-evaluating self in relation to Africa: The danger of assumptions   

  
Another difficulty stemming from teaching or doing other work in Africa is far more deeply rooted than the simple professional evaluation of one’s experience. The reconstruction of identity that occurs when one is confronted with what being Western represents in most areas of the world is an intense and sometimes disturbing process, but one that is often expected to bring about a new sense of cultural understanding, a newfound sensitivity that is the fruit of living “on par” with one’s African colleagues. Often the intensity of being a very visible and often not-so-discreetly resented minority leads a Westerner in Africa to develop a sort of reverse ethnocentrism as a coping mechanism, distancing oneself from the oppressor which one represents by siding with and extolling the virtues of the oppressed. This is frequently noticed in returned volunteers who have spent long periods in Africa – in the Peace Corps, for example. I certainly had my own experience with this: Returning from my first trip to Benin, the leftover Christmas displays stacked with excess food and material things brought me to tears. How could I justify being born into this, without having done anything to deserve it? I also caught myself falling into this pattern while in Kenya, especially since even my colleague from York was African. This can also lead to an overwhelming sense of responsibility, of wanting to help, of wanting to make some sort of tangible difference – all of which are highly encouraged and praised sentiments in the West. How often is it drilled into us that, given our privileged positions in the world, it is unthinkable not to do something about injustice and poverty? 
  
  
This at first glance might seem like development and “intercultural sensitivity,” but is it really? Can a Westerner teaching in Africa for 3 months, 6 months, even 3 years, truly claim to comprehend the issues at hand in the way that we would often like to think we can? Upon deeper analysis, perhaps there is a sense of presumptuousness in assuming such a complete understanding of Africa, of the South, of the Other in general. After all, is it truly possible to understand such a reality when one is experiencing it from a privileged vantage point? I saw extreme poverty and illness in Wikondiek, and several people died of tuberculosis and malaria during my stay. Many would say that I have, as a result, a newfound “understanding” of such issues, especially since I became very ill myself. But on what level can I or any other foreigner truly claim to understand these things? In reality, my experience was through a veil: I was watching from behind the safety net of a return plane ticket, malaria pills and health insurance.  Yet, such an experience is highly lauded and in fact quite profitable in the West, and host communities in Africa are completely aware of this. A rather aggressive bus driver in Kenya bluntly asked me if I was going to go back to Canada and do what every other foreign teacher or volunteer does: show pictures of myself “integrating” with poor black children and use it for my own benefit. I have never forgotten this, and I think this man’s comment is worthy of being mentioned for the stark truth that it expresses. Perhaps “intercultural understanding” and other such soft skills one is expected to obtain in Africa can, if one is not careful, turn into a kind of a superiority complex that is wholly undeserved. Perhaps intercultural humility is a better thing to strive for: the willingness to admit how much one in fact does not know. I can personally say that I actually know far less for certain than before I left – and I think that this is actually quite positive, though not always seen as such from a Western perspective. 
  
  
Implications for teaching in a diverse classroom
  
  
None of this is, however, to say that Africa should be abandoned entirely as a teaching destination for Westerners because of the approach we take towards the continent; on the contrary, continuing relations are necessary so that we can learn how to take Africa’s perspective on our actions there into account and create a more equal dynamic. This is not only relevant in the case of Africa itself, but also in terms of the Diaspora population in an ethnically diverse classroom – an issue that is quite relevant today as we are assessing the benefits of an Africentric curriculum and school. The problems I have just enumerated are in many ways equally valid in the case of our school system in Toronto, and experiences in Africa can in fact be of immense benefit if used in a way that emphasizes the need for a different relationship with this part of the world and the role that everyone, students included, has to play in establishing such a dynamic. Adapting one’s teaching strategies and one’s definition of “good” teaching to suit one’s students is not just helpful and necessary in Africa, but perhaps equally so in the case of students of African heritage. Having been exposed to collectivist environments, a teacher is better prepared to be tolerant towards different ways of viewing life and education depending on one’s heritage, and could be more likely to think outside the constructs of his or her own perspective in a more mutually respectful teacher-student relationship. The humility that can come from realizing one’s own limitations both in saving the world and in understanding it could also be helpful in this respect: one is far less likely to assume anything, to assess a student’s situation or problems by claiming to comprehend the other side. This is not defeatist or changing the power distribution in the classroom; it is validating the reality of one’s students and thus creating a level of trust and openness. 
  
  
Experiences in Africa can also be brought into the classroom in a way that defies the traditional showing of pictures and saying how much one “got out of” the journey: this only reinforces the basis of the unequal exchange that exists currently. Personally, I have attempted to show my students in Wikondiek the way they wanted themselves to be represented to the West, which is something I asked them before I left. I include their own words whenever I present to students in Toronto, and I refuse to speak on behalf of the community. This has always stirred a great deal of interest in the students I am speaking to: interest in the students of Wikondiek themselves, not of what I did there (nor, it must be noted, what I ate there). One class I spoke to asked if it would be possible to write to the students in Wikondiek so they could ask them questions themselves – and this I think is most indicative of the kind of change in mentality that is needed in the way the West engages with Africa. This makes Africa real, not a place whose wars and epidemics are seen on TV, and the fact that the students asked for this connection implies a willingness to engage in a receptive manner with Africa rather than an imposing one. 
  
  
Overall I believe that if I have been able to make such observations, I am certainly not the only one who sees an unequal exchange in need of reconstruction in the West’s current dealings with Africa. Perhaps the analysis and discussion of such issues will be a first step in re-examining the way we see ourselves in relation to Africa, and seeing that it is often far more beneficial instead to see what value (or lack thereof, as the case may be) that Africa places on our contributions. It is my hope that my continued questioning inspires some others who have had similar experiences to do the same. By being willing to accept Africa and our experiences there not just on our terms but more so on Africa’s terms, we can perhaps come to a new dynamic that backs up a well-known Swahili proverb that I was told in the village:  let the guest come so that the host may benefit. 
  

  
  Author's Information  
  

  


  
Stacey Tsourounis is a 4th year student at York University studying French and English with plenty of African history, politics and dance on the side. She cannot stay away from Africa for more than a couple years at a time, and since starting at York has been to Benin, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Upon finishing her degree in December, she will be heading to Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo. She plans to incorporate lessons from her travels into a career as a high school teacher, and will be going to teacher’s college in 2009 (unless she never comes home).
  

]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:35:16 +0000</pubDate><link>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/experiential-aspects-of-internationalization/accepting-africa-on-africas-terms/</link><guid>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/experiential-aspects-of-internationalization/accepting-africa-on-africas-terms/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building Equitable North-South Collaborations: ]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
The   Social Work in Nigeria Project   (SWIN) is an international collaboration between the   University of Benin   in Nigeria and three Canadian universities -   York University  , the   University of Windsor   and the   University of British Columbia  . The project is focused on strengthening the capacity of the University of Benin, Nigeria to train social workers, a project that can contribute to women empowerment and gender equality in Nigeria. It is funded through a $1M contribution agreement with the   Canadian International Development Agency   (CIDA) through the   Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada   (AUCC), and cash and in-kind contributions from all four partner universities, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Edo State, Nigeria, the   Nigerian Association of Social Workers   and a coalition of local NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) from Benin City in Nigeria. 
  




  Background and Rationale  


  
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the 10th largest country by population in the world.  Its national boundaries are set from colonial history and cut across numerous cultural and physical boundaries.  Nigeria has more than 250 different ethnic groups, of mainly Christian and Islamic faith.  Unfortunately, ethno-religious rivalry also has its roots in this context from the early days of independence from Britain in 1960.  Despite being the world’s sixth largest producer of crude oil, with huge mineral reserves, agricultural riches, and humanpower, indicators point to some of the lowest living standards in Africa for a large majority of Nigeria's 120 million people. According to the United Nations, Nigeria is one of many developing countries that is impeded by a vicious circle linking poverty, insecurity and vulnerability in a context of growing inequalities within and among countries (ref: Development & of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, 2003).  Social development is lagging with particularly negative consequences for women (Pereira, 2002). Gender-based power differences in Nigeria create disparities in resources, social capital, and options for action. 
  
  
Despite these challenges, opportunities for gender equality are timely because of the present democratic climate in Nigeria and the willingness of the federal government to support the equality of men and women in accordance with constitutional provisions. This commitment is exemplified by the signing of the National Policy on Women in July 2000 after the failures of previous administrations. The policy provides an opportunity and anchor for present and future initiatives to address the barriers that limit the full participation of Nigerian women in various aspects of social life. The efforts of the government to promote gender equality and women empowerment is complemented by the work of vibrant NGOs, women’s groups and coalitions that have sprung up to address the needs of women and the girl-child. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals Report for Nigeria for 2004 noted this current conducive environment by rating as “strong” the state of supportive environment in Nigeria for achieving the   UN’s Millennium Development Goal   number three which focuses on Promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment. 
  
  
The empowerment of Nigerian women is the key goal for interventions that seek to mitigate these negative consequences for women and girls. Experience in Nigeria and other developing countries has demonstrated that increasing the empowerment and resources available to women is an effective strategy for improving social outcomes not only for women but also for their families and their communities (Uduigwomen, 2004). The social work profession - with its long tradition of empowering and working with marginalized people through multi-level interventions and collaborations with community-based organizations - is well positioned to contribute significantly to women empowerment and gender equality in Nigeria. Ideally, social work programs in Nigeria should produce social work practitioners who have the skills and knowledge to develop and implement community-based interventions that address the social problems faced by Nigerian women, their families and communities. 
  
  
Unfortunately, social work programs in Nigerian universities are significantly disadvantaged by an inadequate supply of professionally trained social work faculty and curricula that largely focus on ‘individual problems’ rather than systemic issues, thus limiting their ability to prepare students to provide community-responsive, gender-competent social work interventions. There is also a lack of focus on such critical areas as the integration of theory and practice, HIV/AIDS, gender and social development, working with rural adults, intervention approaches with women, community-based social work, working with families, and social welfare policy analysis. As well, current social work programs and institutions lack necessary resources to support teaching and applied social welfare research. Undoubtedly, a strengthened social work education sector can train a new generation of professional social workers with the necessary skills and knowledge to address the priorities of Nigerian women through prevention and intervention projects that are founded on the principles of empowerment and long-term social change. Also, strengthened social work training can provide professional development to personnel currently working in social work-type positions with NGOs and government agencies in Edo State and throughout Nigeria. 
  
  
  Key objectives of the Social Work in Nigeria Project include:   
  
1.	Enhanced capacity of the University of Benin to provide professional social work education at the diploma and undergraduate level.   
2.	Development of a fully functioning and sustainable MSW program at the University of Benin.   
3.	Enhanced capacity of the University of Benin in collaboration with local NGOs and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to train in-service social workers through the establishment of a Community Social Work Training Centre.   
4.	Improved capacity of University of Benin faculty to conduct applied social welfare research that is policy and practice- relevant in collaboration with community partners.   
5.	Increased profile and reputation of social work in Nigeria through heightened awareness of social work roles and functions among policy makers and the public.
  

  The Process of Building Equitable Collaborations  

  
  
Some of the key principles and values that are central to the Social Work in Nigeria Project include a commitment to avoiding past imperialistic practices and an awareness of continuing problems with contemporary international collaboration.  International research has become increasingly relevant due to increasing interdependence and contact between nations and cultures.  Yet, increasing cultural contact has not always been in the best interests of nations that are under-resourced, and often vulnerable to exploitation by researchers with more economic and political power.  The more optimistic proponents of international research suggest that international collaborations will result in jointly developed universal approaches that will bring economic and social benefits to all nations involved. However, too frequently, contemporary inter-nation relations still mirror exploitative practices of colonialism that have dominated international history. We are very mindful of potential undercurrents in research collaborations with developing countries and recognize the risk that contemporary inter-nation relations might mirror past imperialistic practices. 
  
  
To avoid the potential of such well- intentioned but problematic collaborations, the methodology of the Social Work in Nigeria Project incorporates principles such as ‘indigenization’ and ‘reciprocity’. Unlike “authentization that argues that social work in Africa and other developing countries needs to completely repudiate all Western influences, indigenization cautions against throwing the baby out with the bath water, arguing that Western models can be modified to suit local conditions” (Anucha 2007). Walton and Abo El Nasr (1988) describe indigenization as a process that involves taking Western social work models and modifying them to suit a different cultural environment. This adaptation invariably requires a consideration of both the political and socio-cultural context of the importing country. Midgely (1981) emphasizes that the key idea in indigenization is ensuring appropriateness – both of professional social work roles and social work education, to the expectations of social work practice in a particular environment. 
  
  
SWIN also embraces the principle of reciprocity rather than a donor-recipient relationship or what Midgley (1990) critiques as “the one-way international flow of ideas and practices” where social work educators and scholars from developing countries are cast as potential recipients and social work educators and scholars from the West as potential donors of knowledge. The Canadian partners view collaborating with their Nigeria counterpoints as an opportunity to develop new, shared frameworks for examining the status of women in Nigeria as well as Canada. The struggles that we see Nigerian women facing are not far removed from the struggles of marginalized women in North America (Lucas, 2001).  Canadian feminist/empowerment perspectives can evolve in response to infusion of frameworks that have emerged in the context of colonization and marginalization. Despite the vast differences in their demographic, economic and cultural characteristics, Canadian social workers could learn from social workers in Nigeria. For example, their experiences of coping and managing with scarce resources,; long experience with working across cultures as well as extensive experience dealing with the social consequences of widespread and persistent poverty can greatly inform and enrich social work practice in Canada. 
  
  
For more information on the Social Work in Nigeria Project, please visit our website:   www.yorku.ca/swinp  
  


  
  Authors’ Information  


  
  Canadian Project Director      

Uzo Anucha, MSW, PhD   
Associate Professor   
School of Social Work   
Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies   
York University   
4700 Keele Street, Toronto   
Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3    

Email: anucha (at) yorku.ca    

  Nigerian Project Director      

Chike Okolocha, PhD, MNES   
Professor & Head   
Department of Sociology & Anthropology   
University of Benin   
Benin City, Nigeria    

Email: cokolocha (at) yahoo.com
  


  References  

  
Anucha, U. (2008). “Exploring a New Direction for Social Work Education and Training in 	Nigeria”, Social Work Education – The International Journal, 27 (3), 229 – 242	    

Development, D. f. S. P. a., & of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. (2003). Report on the World Social Situation, 2003: United Nations General Assembly.     

Lucas, E. (2001). Social development strategies of a non-governmental grassroots women's organisation in Nigeria. International Journal of Social Welfare, 10(3), 185-193.     

Midgley, J. (1981). Professional Imperialism: Social Work in the Third World. London: 
Heinemann.     

Midgley, J. (1990). ‘International social work: Learning from the third world’. Social Work, 35 	(4), 295 – 301.     

Pereira, C. (2002). Configuring "global, "national" and "local" in governance agendas and women's struggles in Nigeria. Social Research, 69(3), 781-804.     

Uduigwomen, A. F. (2004). A philosophy of education for Nigerian women: Problems and Prospects. The African Symposium: An Online African Educational Research Journal, 4(1), http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/aern/udomen.html.     

Walton, R. G., & Nasr, M. M. A. (1988). ‘Indigenization and authentization in terms of social work in Egypt’. International Social Work, 31, 135 - 144.     
  ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:13:35 +0000</pubDate><link>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/new-and-innovative-practices/building-equitable-north-south-collaborations-the-social-work-in-nigeria-project/</link><guid>http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/new-and-innovative-practices/building-equitable-north-south-collaborations-the-social-work-in-nigeria-project/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Analytical Framework for Institutional Relationships]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
This paper seeks to situate the problem of internationalization and globalization within the contextual configuration of symbiotic relationships. But first and foremost, let me quickly mention that internationalization and globalization of education is an initiative that must be created so as to educate, involve and acquaint students as well as managers of education regarding various issues and challenges facing the global community. 
  

  
Such issues include but are not exclusive to international development, mutual cooperation, conflict resolution, reduction of hunger, improved political systems, international and intercultural education, environmental matters and enhanced quality of life. 
  
  
This discussion could not have come at a better time than now when many countries of the world are coming together and leveraging from each other the benefits of global education, technology and knowledge transfer for the purpose of development and nation building.  
  
  
However, this is not the case in the Global South as most of the countries seem to have been left behind. While the rest of the world is moving ahead, the majority of the southern countries (our part of the world) seem to have been sidelined.
  
  
In an attempt to address this problem, Canadian universities and Global South universities are juxtaposed with the aim of finding out the extent to which Canadian universities and those in the global south can collaborate for mutual benefit. 
  
  
A novel form of strategic and sustainable Canadian-Nigerian universities partnership is envisaged by this analysis. Canada being a developed country will provide a formidable partnership to support Nigerian universities to harness and apply education and related innovations to eradicate poverty, increase economic growth and achieve sustainable development. 
  
  
The justification for this investigation is pivoted on the relevance of globalization and interdependency, both as a terrain of contemporary scholarship and a practical fillip for rapid development in a world scale as encapsulated in the   Millennium Development Goals   (MDGs). 
  
  
For Canadian universities to globalize and internationalize, for the benefit of the Global South, three primary objectives must be borne in mind. These objectives serve as the driving force for the global initiative. The objectives are: Educational; Cultural awareness of the structural geopolitical issues related to globalization; Globalization and the international community beyond Canada. Let us briefly explore this trinity of critical imperatives.
  
  
The   educational   emphasis will expose students to the different methods and tools of teaching, research and learning in a comparative sense. Students will attend regular classes as they would in Canada and vice versa, but the key issue is for them to observe differences and similarities both in curriculum and methodology. Where possible, students will also be encouraged to visit state and local government officials, including state governors, and if possible, the president of the country. The students will be encouraged to ask questions and at the same time observe specific ways of life, and political and social nuances that may be different from what obtains in Canada. The same will apply to their counterparts from Nigeria. 
  
  
The   cultural   aspect of the program enables students to become more involved in some social aspects of life in the host country. This includes visiting some villages, local or national political leaders, community groups, local ceremonies/rites, and tourism centres. In this way students become participant-observers and are able to learn how other societies live and relate to each other vis-à-vis national government and the larger global community. The uniqueness of these experiences can rarely be duplicated.
  
  
The   globalization   theme seeks to expose students to various pressing issues in a fast- changing world. First is the issue of developmental asymmetry between advanced industrialized societies and developing/under-developed countries; the various infrastructures and instruments that link different countries into the global political economy, the role of information technology and international finance (multinational corporations, etc.) in building bridges between different world regions and societies; and the environmental consequences of national economic development and its spill-over effects on health, quality of life and the natural ecosystem. 
  
  
As the backdrop of the above suggestions, this paper will present envisaged areas of cooperation and collaboration between Canada and Nigeria the three broad objectives stated above, with implications for the attainment of clearly identifiable mutual benefits. 
  
  
In this regard, five broad specific areas will now be presented, reviewed and discussed.
  
  
1. Collaboration in the area of research at the backdrop of various disciplines including Medical Sciences, Natural Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Social Sciences, Management Sciences, and the Liberal Arts, etc.  
  
  
2. Partnership in the terrain of Information Communication Technology in such a way that the southern university will have access to the most recent ICT hardware and software facilities while the North will benefit in terms of expanded market and access to raw materials.  
  
  
3. Collaboration in the areas of academic staff exchange programs to improve on the trinity of Research, Teaching and Learning (as is done with some American universities through such programs as the Fullbright Scholar’s scheme). 
  
  
4. Collaboration in terms of Library information through mutual exchange of recent publications and literary works.  
  
  
5. Collaboration in the area of student mobility with implications for a wider perspective in culture, communication and international relations. 
  
  
This paper will review these five areas with specific regard to institutional relationships between Canadian universities and Nigerian universities, respectively. But first and foremost, let us briefly explore the problems confronting universities in the Global South. 
  
  
Candidly, for this paper to serve its purpose, there is an urgent need for us to review, however briefly, the problems facing tertiary academic institutions in the Global South. One has chosen to undertake this effort at re-education, sensitization and conscientization, essentially because the truth must have to be told and one must have to be sincere at the very point of entering into any form of relationship. 
  
  
The question is: what is this truth? Universities in the Global South, including those in virtually all African countries (perhaps except South Africa), are underfunded, underdeveloped and under-utilized in all ramifications. I am constrained to observe, at the backdrop of concrete existential realities on the ground, that in many universities in the Global South, particularly those in Africa, professors collect “take home pay that cannot take them home.”
  
  
Physical infrastructural development is basically elementary; research funds are not adequate to carry out meaningful research; libraries are ill-equipped; laboratories, studios and workshops are stocked with archaic materials and equipment; computerization and digitalization of facilities are still elementary and are moving at a very slow pace. 
  
  
To complicate the already compounded situation, in many universities in Africa, attention is often diverted by secondary associated problems, such as those of strike action by professors asking for reasonable and humane remuneration; student demonstrations as a result of collapsing infrastructural facilities; and the new apparent danger of decimated standards of research, teaching and learning. In evaluating these problems facing universities in the Global South, the common denominator, in my humble submission, is the problem of funding. Universities in the Global South, universities in Africa, universities in my own country, Nigeria, are not adequately funded. The truth is that in many instances, the level of funding is very elementary, clearly infinitesimal. 
  
  
For instance, the minimum budgetary allocation to the education sector by World Bank standard is 26% but my country, Nigeria, has only barely allocated between 11% and 15% to the education sector in the past few years. 
  
  
However, the government of president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is very serious about improving on this. There are many reasons for the phenomenon of underfunding of many universities in the Global South, but in Africa, the major impediment is the economy. Some African economies have collapsed and others are in the process of collapsing, while the remaining are caught up in the web of general cyclical crisis. However, countries like South Africa and Nigeria are working very hard to establish vibrant and sustainable economic growth and development. 
  
  
I am optimistic, for example, that by the year 2020, Nigeria will be one of the leading twenty economies in the world. The present administration of president Musa Yar’Adua is transparently committed to the finest ideals of economic growth, infrastructural development, equitable distribution of resources, social justice and proactive, cordial, international relations and diplomacy. We have not lost control of the very thematic preoccupation of this paper. The truth is that all that has to be said and clearly stated, in relation to the problem under investigation.
  
  
For example, it is not enough to suggest that many universities in the Global South are not adequately funded essentially because of collapsing economies, in some cases. I think it is important, in an international symposium of this magnitude, to extend the frontiers of the argument by asserting in lucid and precise terms, why the economies of the Global South are not strong enough, with adverse effects on the universities. This is in comparison with those of the Global North, especially the United States of America and Canada. We shall quickly dispose of this argument before we return to the principal theme of this paper which is, how best to establish institutional relationships between Canadian and Nigerian universities. Let us please dispose of our preliminary thesis. 

  
  
The following twenty problems enable us to understand and appreciate the dynamics confronting many countries in the global south with adverse implications on the universities expressed in terms of underfunding. 
  


  The Problems  

  
1.	Lack of sound productive base.    
2.	Lack of sustained economic growth.   
3.	Lack of equitable distribution of resources.   
4.	Slow pace of globalization.   
5.	High phenomenon of disguised unemployment.   
6.	High rate of inflation.   
7.	Intimidating debt burden.   
8.	Mono-cultural dynamics of the economy.   
9.	Contradiction between the concept of “technology transfer” and “supply of technology.”’   
10.	Planlessness and dearth of reliable statistics.   
11.	Collapse of the education superstructure.   
12.	Deplorable social welfare services and inadequate health facilities.   
13.	Deplorable social security system.   
14.	Wide-spread poverty and corruption.   
15.	Low capacity utilization.   
16.	Dearth of direct and portfolio investments.   
17.	Low level of technological development.   
18.	Low emphasis on research and development (R & D).   
19.	Problem of skilled manpower.   
20.	Low level of symbiotic, horizontal economic relationship between the North and the Global South. 
  
  
I have simply outlined the major problems without elaborate analysis on paper, because doing so may divert attention from the basic theme of this work.  I will, however, ask your indulgence to allow me a few minutes to discuss these problems. This is essential because, no university can grow bigger than the economy of its country. I will be brief in the discussion. 
  

  Collaboration in the area of research  

  
In my opinion, Nigerian and Canadian universities can symbiotically collaborate in the area of research and development. The range is wide and the scope impressive. It includes but is not exclusive to such terrains of scholarship as Medical Sciences, Natural Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Management Sciences, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, etc. The   University of Jos  , is willing and ready to receive scholars from Canadian partners on a one-year sabbatical or for a shorter period to enable them to carry out research on African experience in these disciplines (for example, tropical medicine or African history and culture) as is currently done with   Iowa State University   and   Michigan State University   in the USA and the   University of Siena   in Italy. In return, Canadian partners can endow special research funds on some of these areas as part of its contribution to the Global South or even donate some urgently needed state-of- the-art equipment for research. The terms and conditions in each instance would be agreed upon mutually by drawing up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate this arrangement. 
  


  Partnership in the terrain of information communication technology  

  
In Africa, as a whole, the pace of computerization and digitalization of science, research and communication is generally slow. Access to laptops and to the Internet superhighway is less than 20 per cent of the population. At the University of Jos, there is an urgent need for rapid improvement in these areas. For example, with a student population of over 34,000, less than 2,000 students have personal laptops. In a symbiotic relationship, these students and most of the academic and non-academic staff would be willing to buy laptops at reduced prices if Canadian partners can engage a reputable ICT firm from Canada or elsewhere to supply the hardware on mutually agreed prices, terms and conditions or, alternatively, they can decide to pay for the Bandwidth for some number of years to promote ICT capability and this becomes its contribution to the development of the Global South.
  
 
  Collaboration in terms of library information through mutual exchange of recent publications and literary works  
 
  
University of Jos will be delighted to collaborate in the area of library information services. In this case, University of Jos will be able to donate free copies of various titles from diverse disciplines (especially in the area of African or Nigerian History and Culture) to Canadian partners. This will also enable staff and students of at these universities have access to recently published works from Africa on such areas of scholarship as Social Sciences, Liberal Arts, Medical and Natural Sciences (Phytomedicine) and Environmental Sciences (Traditional African Architecture), etc. Canadian universities, on the other hand, may endow a special fund for the rejuvenation and intellectual uplifting of University of Jos libraries in terms of books, ICT equipment, training of some technical staff in specialized areas of library information service.  This arrangement can be mutually arranged. 
  
 
  Collaboration in the area of exchange programs to improve on the trinity of research, teaching and learning  
 
  
So many professors and other lecturers at University of Jos are willing to travel to Canada to teach and carry out research on sabbatical or under any other exchange program in order to broaden their scholarly base and research potentials. Many graduates of the University who excel in their studies will also be willing to pursue post-graduate degrees.  The University of Jos will also be willing to receive scholars on research programs or those coming for sabbatical on a reciprocal basis or even encourage the establishment of fora/networks which will allow synergy, sharing of experiences, best practices and ideas in the context of real sector practices or specifically University-University knowledge transfer partnerships. 
  

  Collaboration in the area of student mobility with implications for a wider perspective on culture, communication and international relations  
 
  
At the University of Jos, we encourage student exchange programs both within and outside the country.  There are many envisaged cultural and political benefits at the level of symbiotic analysis as stated in one of the objectives. With the anticipated assistance of some relevant Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Canada, the University of Jos will be willing to arrange for exchange programs that will be of symbiotic benefit to students of the University of Jos and their counterparts in Canada, respectively, as is currently done with some universities in the USA and UK. Numerous opportunities abound in this area of collaboration and the University of Jos management is ever ready to open up talks on this area. 
  
 
  In conclusion  

  
A salient point must be made now. The organization of this paper is such that discussions of the socio-economic problems facing the Global South appear to be in detail. This is in contradistinction to the central theme under investigation. This is deliberate. The reason is essentially because first and foremost it is important to establish why envisaged institutional relations with the Global South will be on the level of unequal partnership. The symbiotic relationships have to be roughly formed and not pivoted on precision and exactitude for reasons that have earlier been adduced.  Southern economies are to a large extent weak and underdeveloped. Put simply, the Global South needs, asks and solicits for the understanding, help and kind gestures of the developed North, particularly Canada. 
  
  
I have earlier taken the pains to explain why we find it difficult to fund our universities.  It will be unfair to detain you with more details.  All we ask is for your understanding and cooperation.  Suffice it to suggest that overlooking the Global South, to enable it to grow at its own pace, is not the solution to the global problems of poverty, illiteracy, hunger, and disease as largely seen in the Global South. And if the search for a symbiotic, equal relationship is the answer, what then is the question? 
  


  
  Author's Information  
  

  
Professor Bethrand Tabugbo Nwufo (Ph.D, Fpin, Ficcon, Ksm) is deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at the    University Of Jos  , Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.   

  
© 2008 Bethrand T. Nwufo. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
  

  

  REFERENCES  

  
In Africa, there are some recently published works on the political economy of Africa, the problems of university development and the need to encourage mutual horizontal relationships between the north and the global south. For example see:   

  
Ake, Claude,   Political Economy of Africa   (1981), London, Longman Publishers.     

Elaigwu, J.I.,   Foundations of Nigeria’s Federalism, vol. I, II & III   (2000), Jos, Aha Publishing House.     

Nzekwe, Amaechi,   No past, No present, No future. How Nigerians Underdeveloped Nigeria   (2000),   Jos, Transafrica Links    

Rodney, Walter,   How Europe Underdeveloped Africa   (1983), Enugu, Ikenga Publishers.     
  
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