Africa

Education for Emergencies (E4E) – Climate change pedagogy (CCP)

Co-creating a research-based approach for higher education curriculum development in learning difficulties and socio-emotional problems in India and Kenya

Collaborative project planning of co-created, research-based approach for higher education curriculum development in learning difficulties and socio-emotional problems in India and Kenya. The approach combines multidisciplinary knowledge from special education, neuropsychology and clinical psychology as well as state-of-the art digital technology (e.g., digital learning platforms and eye-tracking). The development of two new MA programs at MMUST and IIT via which the new curricula will be implemented, resulting in a novel pedagogical model to support schools. This will facilitate better teaching and support for 3–14-year-old children, who would be otherwise left behind.

Joint phenomenon-based curriculum development in educational technologies

The joint activities target towards preparing the students for their local work life, academic careers and international work. Along with their academic studies in IT and pedagogy, the students need to grow towards innovative, inventive and imaginative actors focusing on future. That means to be creative, critical, collaborative and communicative. The joint workshop-based approach focuses on interdisciplinarity and international interaction as well as co-development in educational technologies.

Education for emergencies (E4E) guest lectures

The University of Jyväskylä and Åbo Akademi are jointly gathering different partners to conduct guest lectures on the Education for Emergencies (E4E) themes ‘climate crisis pedagogy’, ‘conflicts and war times pedagogy’, ‘antiracism education’. Additionally, the partners are producing learning materials from the respecitve guest lectures.

Youth mobility from Finland and Portugal to the Global South: Policies, practices, and perceived impacts on global citizenship dispositions and on the host contexts

This study analyses the impact of temporary youth mobilities to the Global South countries in participants’ own global citizenship dispositions on the local host context. It analyses policies, practices and perceptions of participants in two countries with different historical and political paths, and cultural and societal characteristics–Portugal and Finland. In addition, the study will also analyse the perceptions of the hosts of such mobilities and their local impacts. Overall, the study aims to: a) Identify and analyse the existing policies and practices of youth temporary mobilities to the Global South countries in Portugal and in Finland and contextualise these within the larger international mobility recommendations and guidelines from, for example, European Union and UNESCO; b) understand the impacts of these mobilities in the individuals’ global citizenship dispositions and in the host contexts c) produce recommendations to improve these mobilities' policies and practices, granting equity in benefits for mobile youngsters and host contexts.

Partership and cooperation with Johannesburg University for learning and teaching resulting in Elias Pekkola nominated associate professorship

As part of the GINTL activities, the University of Tampere has established academic relations with the University of Johannesburg. This partnership has resulted in two research applications (one for an EU project and one for the Academy of Finland). In addition to research collaboration, GINTL funding (as a means of work time allocation) has been used to establish teaching collaboration. This collaboration is intended to be two-directional. First, the University of Tampere will support the development of higher education programs at the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg. Meanwhile, two teachers from the institute have been participating in the development of the content of the study module "Systems Transition 2" (MARIH07) offered by Tampere University as part of its international curriculum. Eventually, two teachers will travel to Tampere to teach on the transition of African higher education systems. Tampere University has been a partner in the Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education (MARIHE), an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree, for several years. The master's degree program's teaching has also been used as course content for Ph.D. studies for (African) Ph.D. candidates studying in Tampere. As a concrete illustration of institutional collaboration, Elias Pekkola has been appointed as a "research associate" at the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg.

Developing an network between Finland and Portuguese-speaking African countries

As part of GINTL activities, TAU has begun a pioneering project of building a network and partnerships between Finland and Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP). The final goal of this new network and research project is to provide new contributions to the development of learning, teaching and curricula. This initiative aims at increasing Finnish research collaboration in Africa. Also known as the Lusophone Africa, the PALOP are less represented in international networks, despite official agreements with the European Union. They are also rarely included in Finnish African cooperation activities. GINTL funding (as means of worktime allocation) has been used to network building and management. This included reviews of past and current collaborative initiatives between Finnish and PALOP Universities, based on UniPID InfoBank, and research about these countries based on Elizabeth Eta’s study (GINTL Africa coordination). Partners identification included several meetings and e-mail exchanges with Finnish Counsellors of Education in Angola, South Africa and Mozambique. The contacts established by TAU go behind the PALOP area, as can be seen in the partnerships for two research applications (DeCoEd and 2EdCo). The PALOP network includes institutions and experts from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique. Contacts in São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea are pending because they are yet to be considered a priority in European and Finnish cooperation activities.

Building a research-action project between Tampere University, Higher Education Institute of Education Sciences of Huíla (Angola), University Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique) and University Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique) on school dropout

This pioneering project was born last year together with the PALOP network. The idea was to continue an international research project awarded by the Global Education Network Europe (GENE), European Research Association, where Vera Centeno was leading a cross-curriculum analysis of grades 7-9 of Finnish textbooks, focusing on how textbooks messages convey issues of sustainability (GENE Project). But this idea changed with the consolidation of the consortium this year. The African partners raised school dropout as a major concern. In 2023, we have been working on finding common interests and building a shared research approach and objectives among the consortium partners. Looking for synergies between TAU-led GINTL projects, the new research focus will be on malnutrition and special needs as cause for school dropout. Ongoing background research about the situation in Angola and Mozambique is expected to be achieved this year. This will be the basis for a TAU-led consortium action-research project with the three PALOP partners. We anticipate funding application(s) and publications. GINTL funding (as a means of work time allocation) has been used to establish this collaboration, including consortium building and management, research project leadership and coordination, external funding preparation.

Pathways of equity and sustainability

Social sustainability in ECEC and ECEC teacher training

Funding was granted for a preparatory visit to the University of Pretoria (Faculty of Education), where Prof. A Muthivhi and colleagues shared research and teaching interests with the grant recipient (e.g., early education, children's agency and participation, teacher training, participatory action research). Collaboration being discussed would aim to promote social sustainability (such as equity, well-being and participation) in ECEC teacher training to support the most vulnerable group around the globe, young children.

Play-based teaching and learning approach to early mathematics in Zanzibar

This activity is part of the principal investigator's PhD research at University of Jyväskylä. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in Zanzibar, the PI will conduct ECEC teacher training workshops, which will introduce play-based teaching and learning approach to early mathematics. The aim is to develop and research practices for teaching young learners how to be competent in mathematics from kindergarten to elementary education. GINTL funding will be used for the ECEC teacher training workshops, data collection for PhD research, and conference participation.

Somali teacher education development expands (STRIDE)

In previous projects our efforts have focused on long-distance collaboration to develop teacher educator competences in the University of Helsinki (UH), Somali National University (SNU), and East African University (EAU) (a new partner who joined our latest project). This project takes us a step further with expanding collaboration to Kenya and finally organizing a face-to-face workshop among the stakeholders in Nairobi, Kenya. Project partners from Finland, two universities in Somalia, and a new partner from Kenya will join a 4-day workshop that: (1) Enables us a more thorough discussion and understanding of the needs and situational requirements of the Somalian cultural and educational context while building networking within the African partners. (2) The project provides a forum to work on and enhance teacher educator competences in relation to tools and tasks suitable for seminar working. (3) All partners will be equipped with new knowledge and skills to be shared and utilized in their home universities and the GINTL network.

Student travel grants to the 2022 SDG4 Seminar at the University of Jyväskylä

Open call for institutional travel grants for GINTL-related activities

UH has a continuous call for travel grants to and from the three GINTL regions. Students, staff and their collaborators can submit applications related to GINTL activities requiring travel.

Mapping of doctoral dissertations completed on education development in Africa

The study analyses doctoral dissertations on education development in Africa completed in Finnish Universities in 2000-2021 (N=100). First, it maps the geographical distribution and educational contexts where the research is located. Second, a network analysis of the institutional affiliations of co-authors, supervisors, pre-examiners and opponents of the doctoral dissertations is done to depict the institutional connections and collaborations in doctoral education. Findings from the dissertation mapping and the institutional network analysis are discussed against the discourses of internationalisation and decoloniality that influence doctoral education both in the global South and the global North.

National coordination mechanisms for education cooperation in developing countries

GINTL is represented in the National Coordination Group for education cooperation in developing countries, co-chaired by Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education and Culture. GINTL participates in relevant consultations with EDUFI, FinCEED and different EU initiatives.

Democratic cooperation in education (DeCoEd)

Emergent dynamics in education development cooperation: A focus on civil society and higher education institutions’ participation ⁠– 2EdCo

Master Program in Research and Innovation in Higher Education (MERIHE)

As part of the GINTL activities, the University of Tampere has established academic relations with the University of Johannesburg. This partnership has resulted in two research applications (one for an EU project and one for the Academy of Finland). In addition to research collaboration, GINTL funding (as a means of work time allocation) has been used to establish teaching collaboration. This collaboration is intended to be two-directional. First, the University of Tampere will support the development of higher education programs at the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg. Meanwhile, two teachers from the institute have been participating in the development of the content of the study module "Systems Transition 2" (MARIH07) offered by Tampere University as part of its international curriculum. Eventually, two teachers will travel to Tampere to teach on the transition of African higher education systems. Tampere University has been a partner in the Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education (MARIHE), an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree, for several years. The master's degree program's teaching has also been used as course content for Ph.D. studies for (African) Ph.D. candidates studying in Tampere. As a concrete illustration of institutional collaboration, Elias Pekkola has been appointed as a "research associate" at the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg.

Curriculum convertibility for remote learning in Ghanaian home economics education

An enthusiastically working Finnish-Ghanaian research group was established in January and got new members in April. The team members are at different stages of their academic career from a bachelor student to a professor and from a lecturer to a research assistant. The work is focusing on home economics education at the upper secondary school level, specifically how well the curriculum can be converted to remote and online training in situations where face-to-face learning is not possible and / or the internet connection is not reliable. The research looks beyond Zoom and ask, “what else can be done to engage teachers and students effectively for hands-on home economics education?” The researchers carried out a documentary analysis of the subject matter and teaching strategies of the three-year SHS Home Economics curriculum and its Food and Nutrition section to identify aspects that need conversion, aspects that can be delivered remotely and aspects that need to be substituted during remote teaching. Primary data was also collected through 12 focus group discussions involving 36 teachers and 36 students. The goal is to take these suggestions from the focus groups, incorporate them into our proposed strategies and gradually include them into current revisions of the SHS curriculum by T-TEL and the Ministry of Education, Ghana. The undisputable highlights have been the numerous online and face-to-face encounters amongst the research team members, joyful discussions and prompt research work carried out. Team’s first bachelor thesis was submitted and the first conference presentation will take place in September.

Co-designing relevant and responsive teacher education

Teachers are increasingly challenged by complex questions about equity, diversity and justice. This joint collaboration between the University of Oulu (UOULU) and University of Namibia (UNAM) contributes towards strengthening intercultural approach in teacher education. The North-South cooperation is a critical part of internationalization of teacher education, which can promote new understanding(s) both locally and globally on issues of equity and justice. This project is part of the Global Innovation Network in Teaching and Learning (GINTL), funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland. The project aims to strengthen teacher education through joint research focusing on the aspect of practicum supervision and education in diverse contexts, and to enhance capacity of teacher educators through joint research, co-design of teaching and learning materials and practices and exchanges.

Health education development

Joint development of health education, training of physical education teachers

Generating better practices in education through international partnerships in doctoral education

The project builds upon four doctoral dissertations that are being completed in 2024 to synthesise and publicise their key findings on education development and to understand the conditions for completing doctoral degrees in international partnerships. The dissertations cover topics critical to education development in Eritrea: Enhancing student learning through learner-centred interactive pedagogy and dialogic teaching in Eritrean secondary school, the conditions of language education in Eritrea and their ramifications for overall students’ educational achievement, differentiated instruction in Eritrean elementary and middle schools; and professional development of teacher educators. Connecting individual research projects to the broader frames such as context-relevance of education and international partnerships, and internationalization and decoloniality in higher education, this collaboration between doctoral researchers and supervisors results in synthesis of research findings to inform development of education in Eritrea and improving conditions for doctoral education in Finland-Africa partnerships.

The developmental dynamics in motor and early numeracy skills in children who are at risk of mathematical learning difficulties – A cross-cultural comparison across African countries (AEN-Africa)

The “Active early numeracy in Africa” project will produce new scientific knowledge by investigating the development dynamics of early numeracy and motor skills learning among young African children. There is a growing learning crisis in African countries, thus targeted instruction and structured cost-effective pedagogy strategies are needed. To answer this, we develop and test the effectiveness of 8-weeks interventions (combined early numeracy and motor skills, motor skills, and an early numeracy intervention) with 180 children aged 5-6 years, who are performing low in early numeracy, to prevent mathematical learning difficulties. We control individual variation in executive function, language, fine motor skills, and socioeconomic variables. We collect a longitudinal sample with 600 children, measuring early numeracy, motor, language, executive functions skills, and physical activity. Based on the results, and with our teacher-researcher ecosystem, we develop open access materials and support for teachers and other stakeholders, related to early numeracy learning and learning difficulties in Africa.

Knowledge of interculturality ‘otherwise’: Developing a research-based international partnership between universities in China, Finland, and Morocco

Knowledge of interculturality is often too ‘Euro- and western-centric’ in global scholarship and education, leaving little space for the Global South to speak in its own (negotiated) terms about the notion. Based on our former GINTL online exchange project between universities in China and Finland, this research-based international cooperation links up scholars and students from different parts of the world (China, Finland, and Morocco) to ‘expand the horizons of knowledge production’ about interculturality. A series of videos will be produced by world experts from the participating institutions about interculturality to help students unthink and rethink their knowledge of the topic in long-term virtual exchanges. This important project thus explores ways of rebalancing power imbalances between Global North and Global South voices in the production of knowledge about interculturality ‘otherwise’.

Partnership dialogues – Elements of good partnerships

The goal of this research collaboration is to analyse challenges and identify opportunities in global academic partnerships and their development. To do so, UniPID together with GINTL, analyses data from previous joint initiatives to foster responsible and equitable partnerships. The data includes the material from the stakeholder dialogue event organised on 19 May 2022 and answers to the questionnaire created in preparation of the dialogue event. Additionally, the team will organise a focus group interview with scholars from Finnish and African higher education institutions to discuss, verify and further develop the outcomes of the preliminary analysis. As a final product of the initiative, one to two academic articles and complementary news articles as well as blog posts will be published. A public presentation will be held to communicate the research findings and the lessons learned from the collaboration. This initiative will contribute to national discussions on partnership development, especially with Global South partners.

Towards high quality and equal teacher education in Somalia

This project was created to continue the development of teacher education in Somalia. The development work started at Somali National University (SNU) with the renewal of its Teacher Education Programme in 2018. This initiative is to widen cooperation among teacher educators and to initiate a network among other Somali higher education institutions involved with teacher education. The initiative also aims to find ways to support professional development and collaboration among teacher educators. Teaching practice and school collaboration require a special focus in the future. In addition, educational equity is in scope in order to better understand the current challenges in education. The main activity in the project is a systematic inquiry carried out by various stakeholders. Two workshops will be organised for an opportunity to learn about specific teacher education topics, and for sharing of ideas and co-creation of knowledge among interest groups.

Identifying and supporting children with mathematical learning difficulties in South Africa: Developing and validating assessment and Intervention tools

Our research group’s aim, besides doing good quality scientific research, is to produce open access, validated assessment tools and intervention materials to be used in identifying and supporting children who are at risk for learning difficulties in mathematics. Research shows that learning difficulties in mathematics in comprehensive school strongly predict educational and societal dropout later. Evidence-based materials have an important role in providing support for educators in their everyday work everywhere in the world. We develop these materials in close collaboration with researchers and educators in preschools and schools (ThinkMath-ecosystem). In South Africa, next 6 months (January - June 2022), we will finalise the validation work of the Early Numeracy Test and begin the validation of an early numeracy teacher rating scale to be used in preschools. After that, we continue to develop intervention materials to be used in preschools (children aged 3-5 years of age) at risk for mathematical learning difficulties (July-Dec 2022). To be able to measure the usefulness and effects of our intervention materials on children’s learning, we conduct a quasi-experimental pre-posttest design intervention study in July-Dec 2022. We propose that our research collaboration will contribute significantly to educational science and practice. Our researcher and educator ThinkMath-ecosystem is a powerful way to collaborate and co-create relevant research-based practical knowledge and tools. Ecosystem will be open to all parties (e.g. GINTL network members are invited to join). For the South African education we will be able to develop assessment and intervention materials (previously non-existing for these age groups) for educators to be used with children at risk for learning difficulties in one years time. For educational science we produce novel evidence related to assessment and interventions in the field of mathematical learning difficulties, where most of the evidence has been collected in the American and European education systems. Our record of accomplishment of sustained collaboration is evident in our capacity development and publication record since 2016. We have worked together without external funding so far, except for support from Prof Henning’s SA Research Chair from the National Research Foundation in South Africa. We have been successful in producing good quality international peer reviewed articles and evidence-based materials. With this GINTL seed money, we will be able to conduct assessments with student assistants who can administer tests in schools and preschools. We also plan to write two grant proposals for foundations in South Africa, collaborating with the University of Pretoria’s Department of Childhood Education. As the mathematical learning difficulties is one of the most important predictors for educational dropout, it is highly relevant to identify the children as early as possible and support them in their learning. Hence, research producing evidence-based tools and education materials to be used by educators is very much needed. Our partnership with researchers and educators is based on participants’ core competences. The Finnish team members bring their expertise in the field of early numeracy learning, learning difficulties, assessment, interventions and rigorous research methodology. Our South African team members have good records of accomplishment in working with schools and educators as well as in research related to language and numerical cognition. All the proposed team members are well versed in teacher education research. We believe that our work is innovative and novel as has been acknowledged by the response to our joint publications. Our work is following the strategy of Finnish Higher Education as, for instance our international ThinkMath-ecosystem provides good possibilities to collaborate and co-created, securing the relevance of the research to the educational practice, in addition to teacher and researcher training. In addition, as we publish our materials open access, it has a big impact and can be further developed by other parties as well.

Piloting eTALE Africa – Providing literacy teaching support for Namibian teachers

It is acknowledged that the level of basic literacy skills in a country relates to economic growth and development at a national level. The fact that around 85% of children do not reach the minimum level of literacy until the end of primary education highlights the severity of learning challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. While most Namibian teachers (81%) claim that they have received average to excellent training in teaching reading and demonstrate that they overwhelmingly agree (99%) with good reading practices and beliefs, the actual results of the recent PhD study by February (2018) revealed that teachers’ knowledge of various aspects of literacy does not relate to their stated teacher training and beliefs. It appears that the overall average showed that less than 36% of teachers had detailed knowledge of specific and important aspects of reading. eTALE Africa (eLearning teacher training programme for literacy learning and teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2019-2022), in line with the aims of SDG4 and of the Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (GINTL), is directed to strengthen the capacities of teachers and teacher education. The research-based initiative of eTALE provides teachers with pedagogical skills and tools to teach basic reading and writing skills in local languages, taking into account struggling learners, and enhancing the delivery of improved literacy teaching and learning outcomes in Namibian, Zambian, Tanzanian and Kenyan schools. eTALE Africa provides opportunities for teachers to upgrade their knowledge base, qualifications and skills while improving children’s access and opportunities to quality education by enhancing the teachers’ competences in effective literacy teaching, especially those of marginalised children who have difficulties in learning to read. All eTALE content materials have been co-created by literacy and teacher education experts in partner countries, enhancing mutual learning and collaboration. The training and continuous professional development (CPD) of teachers is one of the key components for improving children’s reading skills and success in school. With this in mind, eTALE focuses on enhancing the capacities of the lower primary teacher trainees, teachers’ and special education teachers’ skills to teach literacy in local languages. It is widely acknowledged that using the mother tongue (local language) in the early years of schooling has a positive impact on attendance and learning outcomes, and the skill to learn new languages. This is reflected in the language policy (in Namibia). eTALE is a research-based, open-source eLearning environment that can be used in face-to-face teaching in teacher training (blended model) or as an independent study environment. Studying via eTALE online environment will strengthen both theoretical and research-based foundations of teaching literacy skills in local languages as well as practical hands-on skills in the classroom. eTALE combines the use of ICT and mobile technology for literacy programmes as a means to alleviate the new challenges presented by COVID-19 to the early grade learners’ acquisition of foundation skills. The core materials of the e-learning environment can also be used in other countries, and country specific materials can be added to the resources (scalability). The eTALE learning environment currently consists of the following modules (in development: dev.taleafrica.com): Literacy learning, Literacy Teaching, Reading Disabilities, and Supporting Materials which includes over 120 summaries of current research articles (research briefs) in learning and teaching to read. The content will be upgraded by the end of January 2022 with a section named Language Studio (recorded letter sound connections in selected Namibian languages, and official Zambian languages, will be added to the eTALE); short videos on how to teach reading; and practical tips for reading instruction, assessment tools and teachers’ certificate.

Continued collaboration with Somali National University in Somalian teacher education

The overarching goal of the future development activities is to continue the developmental efforts at the Somali National University (SNU) that were began and carried out in 2018-2021 with IOM funding to enhance the skills and competences of the SNU staff and to develop their teacher education programs. The continuation with new funding modalities is particularly essential for maintaining the established partnerships and allocating resources for co-planning with the partner HEI. During these prior phases of collaboration, good methods of working and training have been piloted and created. Yet there is need for further enhancement of more flexible ways of collaboration and the stabilization of current processes. The greatest challenges so far have been the lack of educational structure at SNU, the young tradition of academic teacher education at SNU, establishing collaborative connections at the organizational level between the HEIs, and, from the UH’s side, a full comprehension of the existing circumstances and context as well as working from a distance online. There are several actors whose common interest is to continue the existing collaboration and contribute to the development in Somalia with new initiatives. Each of these partners, namely the UH, IOM, FCA and the local partner HEI Somali National University, brings in their own expertise and knowing. The different actors have different types of knowledge and competences, networking, experiences, and knowledge of localized cultural and contextual factors. The collaboration among the range of actors would be an advantage for everyone as knowledge and experiences would be shared and enhanced together in potential future development activities.

Partnership dialogues between African and Finnish higher education institutes

A Stakeholder workshop on 19th May, 2022 deemed to identify the key ingredients for sustainable North-South academic partnerships. Especially the small group discussions generated important insights in finding concrete ways to boost open communication, trust and mutual benefit and other important elements of good partnerships. The workshop concluded that building North-South partnerships should follow shared principles while also support and generate policy-relevant knowledge for development. Additionally, it became clear that sharing experiences and knowledge between the colleagues plays an important role in building equitable partnerships. Therefore, also the visits that were organized during the spring contributed to the development of good partnership between North and South. You can read more about the stakeholder event and the lessons learned here: https://www.unipid.fi/news/different-actions-nurture-each-other/. UniPID is continuing the work to build more responsible academic partnerships together with GINTL network as well as with other partners. If you wish to hear more, please do not hesitate to contact us at unipid-info@helsinki.fi, or follow us on social media @unipidfinland.

Research on and development of teacher education in South-Africa (RDTESA)

During the spring 2022 a research proposal, Learning to Design - Designing to Learn (LDDL) was prepared in tight collaboration between the researchers at the universities of Helsinki and Johannesburg. It aims to develop and research: 1) science- technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM teaching and learning and 2) learning through the design of digital artefacts, such as robots in the contexts of the South African early- and middle grades primary school curriculum in low-income area of South-Africa. We are interested about pupils’ learning of creative, critical and computational thinking skills and, in general, the transversal competences pupils will need in post 4IR era.

Training-of-trainer services in technical and vocational education training (TVET) theory and pedagogical practices

The “Training-of-Trainer Services in Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Theory and Pedagogical Practices” project develops and pilots Liberia’s first vocational teacher education curricula for pre-service and in-service teachers. Special focus is put on the development of special needs pedagogy skills, so that TVET education would be more accessible, and the teachers would be better equipped for taking into account the needs of different learners. Work-life relevance and entrepreneurial skills are the other focus areas of this project. The project is commissioned by the Liberian Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Sports and financed by EU’s “Youth Rising – EU Support to Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Young People in Liberia” – funds and SIDA’s “Promoting youth employment by supporting technical and vocational education in Liberia” -funds. UNIDO is the technical manager of the project.

Education for sustainable and rational approach to the use of medicinal plants in Benin: Co-constructive pedagogical strategy, research, and dissemination of good practices

Phytomedicine is an integral part of the healthcare system in many African countries, and in Benin 80% of population rely on medicinal plants as their primary source of medication. Our project is based on the idea that establishing a sustainable and rational approach to the use of medicinal plants in Benin requires complementary activities targeting both higher education on phytomedicinal research and the popularisation of good practices in medicinal plants use among traditional healers. Our four-step implementation plan will allow us to produce more precise data on training needs (step one), before strengthening teachers’ pedagogical practices (step 2), then strengthening researchers working in the field of the valorisation of medicinal plants (step 3) and finally impacting the actors of traditional medicine (step 4). Overall, these activities aim to promote internalization of teachers, researchers and students within the participating institutes and to promote long-lasting research and education collaborations between them.

Finland-Ghana collaboration in hybrid teacher education (CocoEd)

The CocoEd project develops research-based hybrid teaching and learning in Ghanaian teacher education. With digital technologies becoming powerful tools to enable remote communication, collaboration and learning, there is more flexibility to organise both virtual and face-to-face teaching and learning according to specific needs and the changing situation. This flexibility is especially important in areas lacking qualified teachers, but also in emergencies such as pandemics and political conflicts. The project seeks to research and develop feasible and practical alternative means for remote learning by paying attention that poor internet connection is a reality in Ghana. A Mini-ÅAU-Campus initiative by Åbo Akademi University provides an interesting research context to test, try, and research new solutions for hybrid pedagogy. The CocoEd project re-establishes, widens and strengthens the long-term collaboration between the University of Helsinki, Åbo Akademi University, and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

Learning to design – Designing to learn (LDDL)

The “Learning to design – Designing to learn” (LDDL) project is a research collaboration between the University of Helsinki and the University of Johannesburg and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education as well as to promote continuous learning opportunities for all. We will conduct research on pupils learning in post 4IR era through the design of digital artifacts, such as Lego-robots, videoclips, and reports in the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning. The proposed project will support researchers and teachers in research-practice partnership (RPP) design STEM project-based learning (PBL) modules, which engage primary pupils in designing digital artifacts in order to research pupils’ design processes and their learning of transversal and sustainability competences, especially creative, critical and computational thinking skills in low-income areas of South Africa and in Finland. RPP will support researchers and teachers learning and the adoption of the designed innovative teaching modules.

New directions in development studies and sustainability: Reconsidering global challenges and local realities

The “New directions in development studies and sustainability: Reconsidering global challenges and local realities” project consists of collaboratively designed and delivered intensive courses, entailing exchange of development studies doctoral students and staff. It focuses on theoretical knowledge, writing and research skills as well as curriculum design collaboration, to provide significant long-term benefits to all partner institutions. The project structure consists of two in-person intensive course exchanges, two virtual exchanges, two virtual seminars as well as routine virtual team collaboration on curriculum development and coordination, joint research, and publication activities. Current paradigms and curricula in development studies around the world have become outdated and detached from global dynamics and local realities. This is clear when considering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Analysis and understanding of the relationship between global challenges and localities is more relevant now than ever. The courses address topics proposed by the African partner HEIs, including: localisation of SDGs; multilateralism and recolonisation of Africa; climate change and agriculture; economic partnerships, trade, and international cooperation.

Research-based and future-oriented curriculum review and development for teacher education in Kenya (REFORD)

The REFORD Project refers to “research-based and future-oriented curriculum review and development for teacher education” at the University of Nairobi and Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya. It aims to support students to acquire skills needed in 21st century life and the labour market. The project curriculum will align with the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), launched for basic education in Kenya in 2017. The current focus is on rolling out CBC in higher education institutions and teacher education. The research to be conducted under the proposed project will specifically strengthen the designing of curricula, improve the quality of delivery of teacher preparation programmes, and thus, strengthen the preparedness of the higher education institutions to implement the CBC. The future horizon is changing constantly. Education in the Global South must meet aspirations of sustainability. To expedite the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), educational structures need to provide relevant competences, models, and a future-oriented mindset that sustains our 21st century lives.