A BEAR Story

BEAR (Better Education for Africa’s Rising)

Bong Gun Chung, Ed.D.
Seoul National University
Visiting Professor
CICE, Hiroshima University
January 29, 2016

TVET in SDG 4
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable andquality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who haverelevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment,
decent jobs and entrepreneurship
By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal
access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable,
including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children invulnerable situations

The BEAR project begins fromAmbassador Kiwon Jang’s appointment, 2011

The Backdrops of BEAR
The Time is Ripe…

Africa is Rising,
The Economist, Dec 3, 2011

African economy is rising
TVET revitalization/renaissance underway
SADC survey on TVET done timely at that moment
Korean secondees to UNESCO HQ planning new projects

TVET Revitalization - UNEVOC

2011 SADC Survey,
A thresholdBEAR, small sized teddy bear

“The Planners” in the UNESCO HQ,
Designers of the BEAR project

Youngchul Kim

Kyutae Kim

Nationalistic , dedicated gov’t officials,
eager to share Korean TVET experiences

Selection inside UNESCO,
Competitive

Borhene Chakroun

 Project Title: Better Education for Africa’s Rise(BEAR)
 Beneficiary: 5 SADC countries
 Donor: The Republic of Korea
 Duration: 5 years (2011 – 2015)
 Budget: 10,000,000 USD (overall)

For UNESCO’srole in TVET

Three Result Areas(Targets) of BEAR,
Aiming High
Result 1:
Curriculum Development Capacity Building
Result 2:
Training of Trainers at Training Institutes
Result 3:
Computer network system for TVET management

Due to small budget, target subjects chosen,
Leveraging the CD capacity built, moving others
Participants

Hard to find implementing agency
Delaying the launch

Sectors

Botswana

Tourism

DR Congo

Agriculture, Construction

MalawiAgro-food, Construction

Namibia

Construction

ZambiaConstruction, Tourism

It took more than a year to find theimplementing agency due to the un-tied
rule of UNESCO and the reluctance of theKRIVET.
KRVET researchers are over-burdened,
in-experienced in ODA type of work
Finally, on Aug 27, 2013, the 1.67 mil USD
contract for the result 1, CD only, wassigned between KRIVET and UNESCO.
The Result 2 and 3 are not assigned toKRIVET, to be on bidding later.

Tight Monitoring & logistics Scheme
Complicated & RigidControl

Standardization for Pace-Setting & Control

W/S 1W/S 2W/S 3W/S 4W/S 5Base

W/S 6W/S 7W/S 8

Workshops and Interim Activities
A Cost Saving Implementation Method
Eight One-week Work shops with visiting KRIVET team
Eight Interim Activities among the locals between the workshops
The interim home works,
Some were doing fine, but others..
How to grade them?

Botswana

The ToolKits
KRIVET’s
Manual series
forBest Practice/Example
OriginallyPrepared for
Vocational
High schools
Based onNCS(NationalCompetencyStandards)

On the Oldest Land on EarthBotswana : WB’s model country

Three Prides of Botswana

Population[1]-

2014 estimate

2,155,784th)(145-

2011 census

2,038,228-

Density

3.4/km (231st)
8.9/sq mi-

Total$35.989 billion-

Per capita

22014 estimate

GDP (PPP)

GDP (nominal)

Three Dikgosi

[2]

[3]

[3]

$17,106

2014 estimate

[3]

-

Total

$15.112 billion-Per capita$7,704[3]

Excerpted from wikipedia

Okavango Delta

TVET in Botswana

Panne : Hidden Pride

Education vs Labor Ministry
Technical Colleges expanding replacing Brigades
BTEP provided by Scottish Qualification Authority(SQA)

1 pula = 10 yen approx.

Technical Colleges with Module System

BTEP Documents for Curriculum Authorization
Manuals of CD Validation, Re-validation, and Assessment

City and Guilds of London Institute

Teaching & Learning in Tech Colleges
Based on Learning Units

The National Development Plans point out
Something wrong in manpower preparation

Powerful Support from the Government

Place of Botswana Tourism Competitiveness,
Problematized

Project Coordinator,
A localized dedicated interlocutor

Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mogotsa Kewagamang
Raymond Doherty

Development of A Curriculum(DACUM)

DACUM, an international best practice,practiced by themselves

Build on What already Exist,
Aligning the Terminologies and Concepts

Common Platform vis-à-vis Botswana National Platform
Request to reflect local concerns

Time Scheduleat the WS 3

8 Work Shops and Interim Assignments
nosubject

period1

Introduction

Apr 1-5, 2013

2DACUM

Aug 5-13, 2013

3Performance Criteria

Dec 2-6

4

Learning ModuleApr 7-11, 2014

5

Lesson Plan

Aug 11-15, 2014

6

Work Placement

Dec 1-5, 20147

Quality Assurance

Feb 9-13, 2015

8Wrap Up

July 13-22, 2015

Semester System Attempted
Inserted into the Learning Module System

Lessons Learned from the BEAR Botswana
Analytical Aspects
Contingency : Korea’s rise to donor, TVET revitalization
Structure : Policy transfer/borrowing mechanism and practices
System : Curriculum development by NCS (Nat’l Competency Std)
Actors : UNESCO, MOE, KRIVET, DTVET of Botswana
Ideology : Knowledge Sharing Program(KSP) for development
Unique Aspects
Build on what already exists/Grafting vs New wine new bags
Role of local team leader vs Foreign experts
Strong local Ownership vs. Control from the Donor
Political Support vs One of routine aid projects
Participation of demand side employers vs gov’t officials
Hands-on practices by locals vs Packaged delivery from vendor
Limits on resources & expertise vs aiming too high, much, & broad“Planner vs Searchers” problems as found in development cooperation

A Theoretical review of the BEAR Botswana,from Policy Borrowing Perspectives

Policy Borrowing inComparative Education Studies

Key figures :D. Phillips, K. Ochs, J. Schriewer, J. Meyer, F. Ramirez, G. Steiner-Khamsi,
A. Verger

Core concepts, terminologies, jargons, & metaphors

reception and translation, externalization, political mobilization,
globalization optique, deterritorialization, externalized(borrowed),recontextualized, internalized, socio-logic, local speak vs global speak,loose coupling between a policy and its implementation, discourse
semantics of globalization, global education policy, policy brokers,
comparison over time, across contexts, against standards, retroactive
indigenization or reframing techniques, talk of crisis, cross national
attraction, decision, implementation, internalization/indigenization,
policy adoption and the role of ideas, ideation in the context, semiotic,institutionalism, rationalism, and constructivism & many more…..
David Phillips and Kimberly Ochs (2004). Researching policy borrowing: somemethodological challenges in comparative education, British Educational

Research Journal, Vol. 30, No. 6.

The Issues of Context in Policy Borrowing,
On local vs global confrontation

BEAR Botswana andThe Case Selection Typology in policy borrowing study :Which quadrant does it belong to?

Emphasis on the local context in policy borrowing processadaptation & internalization/indigenization, socio-logic

Globalization & de-contextualization
best practices, standardization, world education policy, policy
brokers/vendors, travelling reforms, rank, role of ideas in borrowing
Reception & translation of reforms in developing countries
crisis talk, political mobilization for reform, loose coupling,recontextualization, conditions of aid vs ownership
GITA STEINER-KHAMSI (2013). What is Wrong with the ‘What-Went-Right’
Approach in Educational Policy? European Educational Research Journal, Volume12, Number 1.

TVET Policy Borrowing Stream in Botswana,From now to elsewhere?
Byoung-gyu Gong(2014). Borrowing from Elsewhere : From Cross-national Attraction toInternalization of the BTEP(Botswana Technical Education Program) in Botswana, MA Thesis,
Seoul National University.
Nopolicy

1960s
Patrick
Van
Rensburg

1970s: Brigade Movement

TVET
PolicyMaking1990s: State-led TVET Policy
2000s: Technical Colleges & BTEP

ScotlandKorea

Is the BEAR Botswana a contextualized or a de-contextualized project?
What are the global aspects and influences in BEAR Botswana?
What is the role of the IO (UNESCO) and how did they play the role?
What is the role of Korean government and why & how did they play it?
What is the rationale for the “reception” by Botswana government?
How & why did Botswana “translate” the Korea’s best practice?
How did they translate the Korean practice into their existing system?
Is Korea’s TVET CD method an int’l standard as a travelling reform?
How does the ownership in the process of policy borrowing appear?

1980s: German Dual System

Germany

Research Questions for BEAR Botswana, inspired bythe Reception & Translation metaphor of Gita S-K

Is the BEAR Botswana viable in the future?
Do SQA-BTEP, City & Guilders, KRIVET cause confusion & inefficiency?
Will the “grafted” Korean practice to BTEP survive on what condition?
How does Botswana eventually invent their own TVET system/practice?

2010s: BEAR Project49“Policy Grafting” in Botswana as a Policy Borrowing

A BEAR baby was born

Tentative Conclusions :Botswana re-contextualized the de-contextualized practice of
TVET CD suggested by the donors of UNESCO & Korea.
It was attributable to Botswana’s policy borrowing tradition ofexerting the ownership.
The re-contextualization was made in a form of grafting theKRIVET method into the existing BTEP formerly provided by SQA.
The viability of the grafting is not certain, if the stemof the BTEP rejects it.

Korea, Keolebile Banyatsang’s daughter

Thanks much for your listening.