Lets first talk to East Africans before we offer aid!
Ought we not first consult with East African educational leaders?
One thing is very clear. We, the 'wahindi' loved the schools we went to in Kampala, Nairobi and other towns in East Africa. Judging by my private mail, I should be able to pursuade quite a few readers to write about their own experiences in future posts. There are already several websites which feature history and nostalgia but also stories of achievement.
There is an overwhelming desire to 'help' schools, and East African education in general. There is not much clarity on what help should be offered and how it should be made available. The problem with offering 'handouts' is that we may raise high expectations of the results and benefits of any support that is provided. A greater problem is that sporadic support may also demean the recipients and undermine the ownership of change.
What is needed is an ongoing, well researched programme of collaboration, not ocassional handouts. African governments, large international donors and sponsors are already paying for programmes of education although more support can be justified to improve the quality of core provision.
What may be also necessary is that East African Asians, who now live abroad, should consider funding the incremental areas aimed at providing a richer educational experience, reward for character development and leadership and promoting access to open learning, to think of a few examples. However, before we embark on fund-raising initiatives or start tapping other fundraisers, we need to talk to East African educationists, headteachers, school governing bodies and other local potential partners. What do they need to improve the current educational provision? Much as money tends to be the preferred medium of support, many educational institutions may also welcome support in kind - equipment and expertise.
There is a need to ask East African educational leaders and innovators to help us identify their needs and priorities. We need to create a mechanism to receive their feedback and to assess their responses by using suitable criteria. Perhaps the answer lies in working with our embassies, aid agencies and donor departments of Governments in the UK, US, Canada and elsewhere.
Whatever we do, if there is still a wish to support African education, lets move away from tokenism to collaboration, partnership and engagement.
Let us first talk to the East Africans who are now in charge and who recognise their priorities better than we do. The alternative is to send small amounts of money but continually challenge their probity. Let us not punish them for the failure of some of their politicians.
One thing is very clear. We, the 'wahindi' loved the schools we went to in Kampala, Nairobi and other towns in East Africa. Judging by my private mail, I should be able to pursuade quite a few readers to write about their own experiences in future posts. There are already several websites which feature history and nostalgia but also stories of achievement.
There is an overwhelming desire to 'help' schools, and East African education in general. There is not much clarity on what help should be offered and how it should be made available. The problem with offering 'handouts' is that we may raise high expectations of the results and benefits of any support that is provided. A greater problem is that sporadic support may also demean the recipients and undermine the ownership of change.
What is needed is an ongoing, well researched programme of collaboration, not ocassional handouts. African governments, large international donors and sponsors are already paying for programmes of education although more support can be justified to improve the quality of core provision.
What may be also necessary is that East African Asians, who now live abroad, should consider funding the incremental areas aimed at providing a richer educational experience, reward for character development and leadership and promoting access to open learning, to think of a few examples. However, before we embark on fund-raising initiatives or start tapping other fundraisers, we need to talk to East African educationists, headteachers, school governing bodies and other local potential partners. What do they need to improve the current educational provision? Much as money tends to be the preferred medium of support, many educational institutions may also welcome support in kind - equipment and expertise.
There is a need to ask East African educational leaders and innovators to help us identify their needs and priorities. We need to create a mechanism to receive their feedback and to assess their responses by using suitable criteria. Perhaps the answer lies in working with our embassies, aid agencies and donor departments of Governments in the UK, US, Canada and elsewhere.
Whatever we do, if there is still a wish to support African education, lets move away from tokenism to collaboration, partnership and engagement.
Let us first talk to the East Africans who are now in charge and who recognise their priorities better than we do. The alternative is to send small amounts of money but continually challenge their probity. Let us not punish them for the failure of some of their politicians.
posted by K Singh Ajimal at
3:26 am
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