Let’s restate the issue – we want to find a model for advanced education that will be accessible and applicable to developing communities around the world.
From the case studies presented we can draw a few conclusions: Universal Education programs must respond to the needs of the community, they must not be based on Western institutions, they must be self-sustainable, they must accomplish the primary goal of improving access to advanced education to every community member.
There are many interesting discussions that can stem from these ideas. These are a few that have been on my mind:
Is education as valuable if it didn’t come from an accredited institution? How can we measure knowledge when education leaves the boundaries of a formal institution? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
DESIGNING A RURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Some practical things to consider when thinking of designing a program would be:
What language will the material be offered in? If presented in the national language, how many people will be excluded from learning? What previous education requirements should there be? How will students be chosen? Will this system rely on trained tutors to facilitate discussions, readings and workbook assignments? Does the system require an instructor with more formal (western) training? What subjects will be offered? Literature? Rhetoric? Mathematics? Or subjects that are more applicable to community development like public health, agriculture and water sanitation? Or an integrated approach?
I think that the answers to these questions must come from the needs of the community and the capacity of the local Ministry of Education. In my view the best way to approach the design of a universal ed program would be to interview secondary students (in the target underserved community) and get a feel for their interests. When I taught Secondary School in The Gambia the majority of my students wanted to go to college in England, Canada or the United States. I can guarantee that many of those students, once they received their valuable degrees, pursued other careers outside of The Gambia. If there were advanced education options for them the situation would have been different and those former students may have remained in country, to pursue local development efforts. It would also help to interview other community members to get an idea of the needs of their needs (not just the subjects of interest to students). Perhaps a community would benefit from integrated pest management programs, health programs or engineering. With this insight and collaboration with the Ministry of Education and experienced educators (with varying backgrounds) a curriculum could be created that is largely based on workbooks, discussions and activities. Representatives from the provinces could be selected as program tutors. They would be invited to the capital to attend the program as well as additional training as a program tutor/educator. Voila! Those representatives would begin the local education program for anyone who has completed secondary school. This program does not require a classroom if those resources are not available. Perhaps those that completed the program would receive a degree or certificate after passing a standard test based on the curriculum (designed by the ministry of Health). Just an idea.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
Since this blog is aimed at college educators, what can we do with this information even if we have no intention of being involved in universal education? Well…no matter where you teach, the students in your classroom are going to be from incredibly diverse backgrounds. I think it is always a good idea to challenge the habits of western education and analyze whether prescribed teaching methods are effective. One aspect of Universal Education is a responsiveness to the needs of a community, this is definitely applicable in a classroom. Making knowledge accessible to every student in your classroom should not be overlooked, and perhaps alternative teaching methods can really improve accessibility for some.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
A Few Case Studies
If the goal of education is the promotion of human welfare and personal and community development, then it must be made accessible to all communities. However, the traditional education system is not applicable to rural communities that lack infrastructure, transportation and resources. I have highlighted three successful education campaigns that cater to rural communities. Each one has a different approach, but all target the needs of the respective communities.
System for Tutorial Learning in Colombia
The Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences (FUNDAEC) has launched the SAT (system for tutorial learning) program. This program, with the help of local NGOs and the Ministry of Education, has been adopted in 13 of the 30 departments of Colombia. Dr. Gustave Correa, director of FUNDAEC, says “Traditional education systems in Latin America are mostly urban oriented. People who graduate from high school simply don’t have the skills needed to thrive in the countryside, and they didn’t have other options but to leave.”
This program relies on curricula and workbooks developed specifically for rural communities in Colombia and is administered by tutors that act more as facilitators than lecturers. The SAT program takes an integrative approach, aiming to cover the same topics of an urban education (biology, mathematics, social studies) in a way that is more applicable to people from rural areas. An example would be, “a discussion of how insect populations reproduce (biology) exponentially (mathematics) given the right conditions (social studies and ecology).”
The key is to improve access to quality education, and designing rural education programs that do not lack the analytical and theoretical components of more formal education. We must remove the assumption that rural people only need vocational skills. SAT also addresses the problem of urban overcrowding, and it allows the community members to manage their own community without having to recruit professionals from the urban centers.
New Era Development Institute in India
The New Development Institute (NEDI) has developed an approach to rural development that includes vocational training as well as personal development that encourages the students to undertake local and sustainable development efforts in their own communities. The institute provides training in 9 vocational fields (including animal husbandry, teacher-training, diesel mechanics). The Institute sponsors regional training courses as part of an outreach program (lasting from two weeks to 9 months). Mr. Rushdy, the director of NEDI, says they have achieved a technology of training that gives a balanced development to the individual. “Every course of study has four tracks: a service track, a spiritual track, a vocational track and a cultural track. In this way, our aim is that each student should leave with some service skill – how to promote health, hygiene, literacy, the education of children and the like; some spiritual skills – so they know why they are doing these things; some vocational skills – so they can get some money to support themselves; and some cultural skills, meaning training in tolerance and diversity and the arts – so they have the confidence and the capacity to be leaders and they are able to convey development messages through the arts.”
The Masetlha Foundation in Zambia
The Masetlha Foundation in Zambia shows how the expansion of grassroots development activities lead to a natural evolution of established structures, governed by the needs and priorities of the people they serve. The institute sought to develop human resources through combining a study in the Baha’i teachings as well as vocational training in rural technology, farming, food production, art and health. The aims of this institute included channeling energy into effectively meeting the needs of the people in the area it serves. This institute believes that spiritual insight is needed so that service to humankind will be the purpose of both individual life and social organizations. This training aims to “equip people and institutions with the means through which they can achieve the real purpose of development: that is, laying foundations for a new social order that can cultivate the limitless potentialities latent in human consciousness” (The Prosperity of Humankind)
One thing that you’ll notice about these successful programs is that they all contain a component of community service and development. This important skill is integral to the success of any educated community in the developing world. All too often there is no role for an educated person in a rural community, but in the context of socio-economic development, their role is pivotal.
System for Tutorial Learning in Colombia
The Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences (FUNDAEC) has launched the SAT (system for tutorial learning) program. This program, with the help of local NGOs and the Ministry of Education, has been adopted in 13 of the 30 departments of Colombia. Dr. Gustave Correa, director of FUNDAEC, says “Traditional education systems in Latin America are mostly urban oriented. People who graduate from high school simply don’t have the skills needed to thrive in the countryside, and they didn’t have other options but to leave.”
This program relies on curricula and workbooks developed specifically for rural communities in Colombia and is administered by tutors that act more as facilitators than lecturers. The SAT program takes an integrative approach, aiming to cover the same topics of an urban education (biology, mathematics, social studies) in a way that is more applicable to people from rural areas. An example would be, “a discussion of how insect populations reproduce (biology) exponentially (mathematics) given the right conditions (social studies and ecology).”
The key is to improve access to quality education, and designing rural education programs that do not lack the analytical and theoretical components of more formal education. We must remove the assumption that rural people only need vocational skills. SAT also addresses the problem of urban overcrowding, and it allows the community members to manage their own community without having to recruit professionals from the urban centers.
New Era Development Institute in India
The New Development Institute (NEDI) has developed an approach to rural development that includes vocational training as well as personal development that encourages the students to undertake local and sustainable development efforts in their own communities. The institute provides training in 9 vocational fields (including animal husbandry, teacher-training, diesel mechanics). The Institute sponsors regional training courses as part of an outreach program (lasting from two weeks to 9 months). Mr. Rushdy, the director of NEDI, says they have achieved a technology of training that gives a balanced development to the individual. “Every course of study has four tracks: a service track, a spiritual track, a vocational track and a cultural track. In this way, our aim is that each student should leave with some service skill – how to promote health, hygiene, literacy, the education of children and the like; some spiritual skills – so they know why they are doing these things; some vocational skills – so they can get some money to support themselves; and some cultural skills, meaning training in tolerance and diversity and the arts – so they have the confidence and the capacity to be leaders and they are able to convey development messages through the arts.”
The Masetlha Foundation in Zambia
The Masetlha Foundation in Zambia shows how the expansion of grassroots development activities lead to a natural evolution of established structures, governed by the needs and priorities of the people they serve. The institute sought to develop human resources through combining a study in the Baha’i teachings as well as vocational training in rural technology, farming, food production, art and health. The aims of this institute included channeling energy into effectively meeting the needs of the people in the area it serves. This institute believes that spiritual insight is needed so that service to humankind will be the purpose of both individual life and social organizations. This training aims to “equip people and institutions with the means through which they can achieve the real purpose of development: that is, laying foundations for a new social order that can cultivate the limitless potentialities latent in human consciousness” (The Prosperity of Humankind)
One thing that you’ll notice about these successful programs is that they all contain a component of community service and development. This important skill is integral to the success of any educated community in the developing world. All too often there is no role for an educated person in a rural community, but in the context of socio-economic development, their role is pivotal.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
What is Universal Education?
In this blog I’m going to discuss Universal Higher Education. Higher education typically refers to colleges, universities, vocational and technical schools that award academic degrees. The concept of universal education is simply that education is accorded to all citizens, regardless of socio-economic status. This may sound like a lofty goal, but only within the constraints of the Western model of higher education. In a recent seminar on college teaching we discussed the values of higher education and concluded that the university model may not be suitable for everyone’s educational needs. However, it is indisputable that knowledge itself plays a central role in human life and the advancement of a society. How can these benefits reach citizens of developing countries? With a little creativity one can begin to think of ways to foster higher education in communities where there is no access to institutions of higher learning. There is very little material published on this concept, but Universal Education is a tenet of the Baha’i Faith and thus many case studies that I present stem from those communities.
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