An Irish nun supervises a teacher at a Sudanese primary school (catholicherald.co.uk)

1. North-South Educational Partnership, A Critical Analysis; An Ireland, Uganda, Lesotho and Zambia Case Study

2. Nature & implications of partnerships between Irish, Ugandan, Lesothan and Zambian teacher education institutions. Partnership Process: Traditional hierarchical aid relationship is challenged in facour of autonomy & reciprocity

3. An Irish nun supervises a teacher at a Sudanese primary school (www.catholicherald.co.uk) Missionary Enagement

4. Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes (PSC): ‘Support Irish Aid’s mission in reducing poverty through a programme of strategic cooperation with higher education and research institutes in Ireland and in partner countries’ (Irish Aid, 2007). Funded by Irish Aid and administered by the Higher Education Authority

5. Drivers • The primacy of basic education in poverty reduction – EFA, MDG 2, SDG 4 • Basic Education Quality – completion versus enrolement • Teachers, teacher education and teacher education policy are: ‘central to determining the quality of basic education outcomes’ (Mulkeen, 2010:13).

6. Teacher Education Quality – Sub Saharan Africa • Shortages of qualified and trained teachers • Overloaded curricula unaligned with the school curriculum • Decaying Infrastructure • Ineffective pedagogy • Policy challenges - Lack of institutional autonomy & limited stakeholder participation -Trade Union representation • Limited support for research • Poor ICT

7. Internationalisation Agenda - international partnerships student mobility schemes internationalising curricula ICT developments & diversified provision – opportunities to attract a global audience Enterprising University – raising revenue Irish TEI s deemed lacking in internationalisation initiatives (DoES, 2012). Global competency : Ethnic and cultural diversity of Irish primary school pupils changed considerably – cultural and ethnic diversity of Ireland’s teaching profession has not - limited in comparison with other OECD countries Development Education: Institutional commitment to global social justice & responsibility Partnerships contribute to these agendas

8. Research Agenda • Research based teacher education • Culture of research within teacher education is essential in furthering a knowledge society. (DoES, 2012)

9. Benefits: • TEIs: • Multi-sector & inter-intitutional collaboration • Establishing academic programmes • Consultant Opportunities • Geo-political contexts • Government Aid Programmes: • Evidence based approach to poverty reduction • Understanding and support of civil society

10. Problem Illustrates mutual though not necessarily identical needs and outcomes – mutuality, collaboration, partnership However, the extent to which a traditional approach - givers & receivers, donors & recipients is challenged in favour of autonomy and reciprocity is contested

11. Case Studies: The Centre for Global Development through Education (CGDE), Lesotho & UgandaZambia Ireland Teacher Education Partnership (ZITEP)

12. Conceptual Framework • North-South Partnerships for Teacher Education and Research Development as Complex and Adaptive Social Systems (Groves and Hinton, 2004; Eyben, 2008; Chambers and Pettit, 2004; Ramalingam et al., 2008 and Geyer and Rihani, 2010) • Emergent process, its structures emerge from interdependent relationships – structures influence interdependent relationships • Partnership actors are adaptive • Structure and agency

13. Partnership, like development, is a continually changing process – there isn’t an ‘end goal’ Patterns can be identified - certain paths can become locked in Power - partnership actors can act to withhold or suppress the adaptive capacities of others Actors and the system can co-evolve to maintain the status quo

14. Indicators

15. Indicators

16. Methodology • Qualitative case study • Semi-structured interviews with 52 respondents – ministerial, funders, lectures, institutional management • Secondary documentation: MoUs, evaluations

17. Findings Emergence & Conceptualisation • Irish partners as lead institution and a supply driven framework whereby Irish partners ‘invite’ Southern partners to participate - diminished Southern leadership, leader-follower dynamic, opportunistic & short-term financial motivations • Coordination and communication between Irish Aidand Irish Embassies weak – weakened IA ownership

18. Government Role – Southern Contexts • Ministerial and institutional collaboration was strong – ownership was strong • Ministerial dominance severely limited institutional and lecturer ownership and autonomy – severe power inequity • Importance of an appropriate government role – underpinned by an informed and nuanced understanding by Irish partners of Southern country contexts

19. Governance - Decision Making, Accountability & Transparency: • Partnerships emerge in an Irish context, depend on voluntaristic and vulnerable Irish funding arrangements, are directed by Irish co-ordinators based in administrative centres located in Irish institutions – Southern partners engage as isolated and peripheral followers • Top down accountability mechanisms and a lack of transparency regarding financial inputs and benefits for all partners - from Irish contexts.

20. Southern administrative capacity, infrastructure and resources obstruct mutual governance structures and limit the ability of Southern partners to adopt a stronger leadership role Traditional dependant North-South aid relationships whereby both Southern and Northern partners expect that Northern partners take the lead role

21. Limited financial accountability and information sharing in one Southern context. Power inequity very apparent in this context Irish intervention in inequitable Southern contexts poses a considerable dilema Perception that Irish partners are pre-dominantly altruistically and morally motivated, prioritising teacher education development in partner African countries - self-interested agendas of African partners, who prioritise material gains and power struggles

22. Mutual Learning • Professional development needs of Irish partners are not acknowledged – undermines trust & maintains notion of Irish partners as the altruistic providers • Not supported by Irish Aid – limits honest debate and the synthesis of multiple objectives • Clear & Transparent Indicators

23. Discussion • Fluid and interdependent power relations. • Diverse goals, conflict and power relationships within and across all partner countries – rather than explicit North-South distinctions

24. Path-dependent trajectories premised on perpetually receiving Southern partners and philanthropic leading Northern partners. Difficult to challenge – Irish as empowering philanthropists and the material gain that aid entails for powerful Southern actors Agents and the system are co-evolving to maintain the status quo

25. Partners are adaptive agents, acting in accordance with their own interests and meanings Powerful actors: Irish managerial control limits the adaptive capacity of Southern partners. Southern ministerial control limits the adaptive capacity of institutions and lecturers.

26. Recommmendations • Increased time and support for mutual proposal development • The facilitation of a supply driven only, and/or both a supply and demand framework • Devolving key personnel positions to Southern contexts • Disrupting potentially entrenched dependent aid relationships - recognising and advancing the potential of Southern partners to contribute and engage in a more economically active and reciprocal manner • Intervention as affirmative rather than domineering • Greater clarity concerning concerning mutual expectations, duties and responsibilities from the outset – indicators