Written evidence submitted by DEA
ABOUT DEA
DEA is an education charity that promotes global
learning. We work to ensure that people in the UK learn about
global issues such as poverty and climate change and develop an
open-minded, global outlook. DEA defines global learning as education
that puts learning in a global context, fostering:
— critical and creative thinking;
— self-awareness and open-mindedness
towards difference;
— understanding of global issues and
power relationships; and
— optimism and action for a better
world.
DEA has a network of member organisations working
directly with educators across the country.
ANALYSIS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Commitment to Education and Learning
1.1 We welcome the commitment to education
and learning. A key message within the White Paper is around global
interdependence. It is essential that the UK public develop a
deeper understanding of this global interdependence and the implications
of their local actions and choices on global issues. This deep
understanding will also help to ensure that the UK public recognises
the importance of the UK's contribution to the Millennium Development
Goals, counteracting a trend noted in the Annual Report: "There
have also been early signs that support for aid spending amongst
the UK public is diminishing" (1.11; Annual Report)
1.2 For this reason DFID's work on Building
Support for Development (BSD) must encourage deep engagement with
development issues. We welcome the White Paper's commitment to
encourage critical thinking amongst young people: "Young
people in particular need to be encouraged to think about development
issues for themselves and come to their own conclusions."
(7.51; White Paper)
1.3 This commitment builds on the original
vision set out in the Department's BSD strategy, and rebuts recent
claims (in Policy Network's "Fake Aid" report) that
DFID's work on education and learning is simply a propaganda exercise
for the Department.
1.4 We therefore recommend that:
1.4.1 DFID restates its vision and support
for global learning in the UK through the BSD programme, as an
effective way to promote deep engagement and critical thinking
on global interdependence.
1.4.2 In the medium term, DFID considers
incorporating the BSD programme into its Civil Society team rather
than its Communications division. This will emphasise that DFID's
commitment to education and learning contributes to strengthening
civil society, rebutting the claim in the "Fake Aid<&rdqsuo;>
report that BSD is a propaganda programme for DFID.
2. Collaboration with Education Departments
in the UK
2.1 We welcome DFID's commitment to "deepen
[their] collaboration with the education departments and institutions
that influence schools and teachers in the UK." (7.51; White
Paper). We note that DFID and DCSF have recently mapped their
respective work programmes around global learning and are looking
for ways to work together more closely, and we welcome this.
3. The importance of global youth work to
DFID's education and learning agenda
3.1 It is important that education about
global interdependence is not restricted to schools. Young people
learn outside of the school system and supporting this non formal
activity is crucial. Global youth work is essential in developing
global learning amongst all young people. There is increasing
demand from the youth sectors to introduce global learning into
their work in response to the interests and concerns of young
people and the recognition that global youth work can enhance
the positive outcomes for young people and their communities.
3.2 Global youth work can also bring quality
global learning to young people not engaging with school; it can
support and take forward the learning from international volunteering
and exchanges; and can help give young people the confidence and
skills to be involved in international decision-making forums
on issues that affect them.
3.3 Recent reviews of DFID's BSD programme
recommended that the Department should broaden its focus from
education in the formal sector to youth work, adult education
and other opportunities to embed global learning.
3.4 We therefore recommend that:
DFID commits to support global youth work in
the UK as part of its BSD programme, and provides strategic coordination
to ensure the potential of this work is maximised.
4. The importance of adult education to DFID's
education and learning agenda
4.1 More generally, it is important not
to restrict global learning to young people—there needs
to be engagement with adults, through a range of institutions
including NGOs, trade unions, faith groups, further, higher and
community education. There are references in other parts of the
White Paper to working in partnership with some of these groups.
Education needs to play an important role in these partnerships
to ensure deeper engagement and understanding.
4.2 DFID has Programme Partnership Agreements
(PPAs) with a significant number of NGOs, which include a commitment
from the NGO to promote development education in the UK. These
PPAs offer DFID an opportunity to ensure that NGOs offer global
learning to people of all ages in the UK.
4.3 We therefore recommend that:
4.3.1 DFID commits to support global learning
for adults in the UK as part of its BSD programme.
4.3.2 DFID deepens and broadens its partnerships
with a range of civil society organisations in order to strengthen
global learning for adults in the UK.
4.3.3 DFID challenges UK NGOs to ensure
that they are adequately fulfilling their PPA commitment to education
and learning on global issues.
5. UKAID logo
5.1 We are concerned that the new UKAID
logo will be an obstacle to public understanding of international
development. The logo suggests that the UK's response to global
poverty and inequality can be limited to the provision of aid,
when in reality effective international development requires careful
coordination of a wide range of government policies, from trade
and foreign policy to climate change and energy policies.
5.2 We therefore suggest that whilst the
new logo may clarify where UK public resources are being spent,
it will hinder deeper debate on the UK's roles and responsibilities
in a globally interdependent world.
5.3 We therefore recommend that:
DFID reconsiders the use and prominence of the
UKAID logo, in light of its probable impact on public understanding
of international development. This is particularly the case in
relation to work in an educational context.
6. Building Support for Development programme
6.1 DFID has recently reviewed its BSD programme.
We welcome the review of the Department's work in this area, but
are concerned about the timing. Any changes made to the programme
will need to be implemented swiftly to avoid clashing with the
run-up to a general election next year—otherwise programmes
and partners will be left with a long period of uncertainty.
6.2 As the BSD synthesis review notes, DFID
does not have expertise on the UK stakeholders and agendas with
which it is seeking to engage. In order to address this lack of
expertise, we suggest that the Department could set up formal
advisory structures to support the development of the BSD programme.
These advisory structures could take the form of two advisory
boards; one for the formal education sector and one for BSD more
widely.
6.3 Thinking and expertise on BSD has moved
on from when the BSD strategy was written over 10 years ago.
6.4 We therefore recommend that:
6.4.1 DFID set up formal advisory structures
to support its thinking and work around BSD.
6.4.2 DFID reviews the BSD strategy and
sets new objectives for building engagement in development issues
in the UK. We recognise that this may not be an immediate priority
but we believe it would be a useful thing to do in the next 24 months.
7. DFID's support for school linking
7.1 DFID will spend £22 million
to support school linking through its Global Schools Partnership
programme (DGSP). PricewaterhouseCoopers note in their review
of the BSD programme's education work, there are suggestions that
"international school partnerships promote "one-off"
encounters with development issues, as opposed to more sustained
engagement that can be brought about through curriculum development."
This issue was also raised by the Select Committee in your recent
report on Support for Development in a Downturn.
7.2 We understand that DFID has commissioned
an in depth evaluation of DGSP. We look forward to the findings
of this review so that we can better understand the effectiveness
and cost effectiveness of school linking.
22 September 2009
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