NGOs, Education and International Social Welfare

Introduction

               The Education For All (EFA) movement  was established through the World Bank and UNESCO and took off at the World Conference in 1990. In September of 2000 world leaders came together at United Nations Headquarters in New York to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs’) and EFA committed nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and set out a series of time-bound targets with the goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2015 (Miller-Grandvaux et al, 2006). The creation of both of these initiatives mandated governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies and the media to take up the cause of providing basic primary education for all children, youth and adults (Strutt & Kepe, 2010). Through multi-lateral initiatives the role of global society in educational planning has increased as many governments in the Global South have been unable to secure both the financial and human resources to secure primary education for all (Miller-Grandvaux et al, 2006; Novelli, 2010; Pillay, 2010; Strutt & Kepe, 2010). (Below are two clips, about the role of civil society in securing primary education for everyone).  
            The role of international NGOs in education advocacy and policy development is heavily debated and controversial.  Supporters of this involvement claim that the “NGOization” (Pillay, 2010) of education in the Global South is necessary in order for modernization in order to achieve the MDG. Some international NGOs believe that this modernization can only be achieved through the universalist tendencies that are applied through international global society which are captured in the actions of NGO involvement in educational policymaking and delivery within individual nation-states. However, critics respond that the “NGOization” of education results in a specific knowledge system being promoted. That is, the universalism applied through international global society contains a knowledge system that regards Euro-American knowledge as superior to indigenous/local knowledge’s and ways of living. In other words, international NGOs steer educational policy towards homogeneity, and local/national culture are subdued creating assimilationist educational developmental projects (Pillay, 2010).
     
         As a practice method social workers are committed to helping communities and groups provide or improve social and health services; as well participating in relevant legislative and social policy processes (IFSW). There is little debate the education is crucial issue that affects the social welfare of all human beings, therefore social workers should be actively involved in the process. The debate lies in how to deliver educational programming, are what development paradigm should be utilized.

Purpose of Literature Review

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The purpose of this integrated literature review is to explore the emerging narratives on the role of NGOs when providing education policy planning, advocacy and delivery in the Global South. The intent is to explore the two competing models for delivering education in the Global South (neo-liberalism vs cultural relevancy), and discover if the current and critical literature reflects the role of NGOs’ as operating from and delivering intiatives from the "top down" or "bottom up." It will explore not just how they operate but what ideology they implement (neo-liberalism vs. culturally relevancy). This paper will then utilize the findings to discuss the role that international social work can play when implementing educational development initiatives. The literature addressed in this paper will be divided into three sections.  The first two sections will focus on International social welfare, with the first section focusing on the development of culturally relevant educational curriculum and the second focusing on the involvement of the neo-liberal paradigm within education. The third will explore the critical discourse within the international development arena to discover what role international NGOs are playing in providing education. Finally the last section will be devoted to a discussion on the role of social work.