Enabling and constraining family : Young women building their educational paths in Tanzania

Peer reviewe

Capability to be Educated—Inspiring and Inclusive Pedagogical Arrangements from Finnish Schools

The idea and concept of inclusive education have been debated, and different interpretations of what inclusion means and to whom it concerns have been presented. In this paper, we bring together notions of inclusive quality education, pedagogy, learning and teachers, and illustrate how the principle(s) of inclusion(s) has been enacted and translated into classroom practices in Finnish context. Drawing from Finnish teachers’ narratives, we highlight successful, small-scale and creative pedagogical arrangements and teachers’ sensitivity to recognize and commit to responding to the needs of diverse learners. Our argumentation is rooted in the capabilities approach. We carry out an evaluative exercise and examine how the classroom practices and teachers’ understandings of their students look like through the capabilities conceptualizations.</p

Planetary well-being

Tensions between the well-being of present humans, future humans, and nonhuman nature manifest in social protests and political and academic debates over the future of Earth. The increasing consumption of natural resources no longer increases, let alone equalises, human well-being, but has led to the current ecological crisis and harms both human and nonhuman well-being. While the crisis has been acknowledged, the existing conceptual frameworks are in some respects ill-equipped to address the crisis in a way that would link the resolving of the crisis with the pivotal aim of promoting equal well-being. The shortcomings of the existing concepts in this respect relate to anthropocentric normative orientation, methodological individualism that disregards process dynamics and precludes integrating the considerations of human and nonhuman well-being, and the lack of multiscalar considerations of well-being. This work derives and proposes the concept of planetary well-being to address the aforementioned conceptual issues, to recognise the moral considerability of both human and nonhuman well-being, and to promote transdisciplinary, cross-cultural discourse for addressing the crisis and for promoting societal and cultural transformation. Conceptually, planetary well-being shifts focus on well-being from individuals to processes, Earth system and ecosystem processes, that underlie all well-being. Planetary well-being is a state where the integrity of Earth system and ecosystem processes remains unimpaired to a degree that species and populations can persist to the future and organisms have the opportunity to achieve well-being. After grounding and introducing planetary well-being, this work shortly discusses how the concept can be operationalised and reflects upon its potential as a bridging concept between different worldviews.</p

Hey teacher, leave us kids alone - developing educational practices, experiences and perspec-tives

Kehittämishankkeella oli kahtalainen tavoite: yhtäältä oman opettajuuden analysointi ja kehittäminen; toisaalta Kansainvälisen kehitystyön maisteriohjelman kehittäminen aiemmilta vuosilta kerätyn opiskelijapalautteen perus-teella. Hankkeen aikana suunniteltiin ja toteutettiin uusi yksittäinen kurssi, josta saadut kokemukset ja palaute muo-dostavat ensisijaisen aineiston henkilökohtaisen opetustyön kehittämiselle. Kehittämis- ja kehittymisnäkemyksiä niin maisteriohjelman kuin oman opettajuuden kannalta peilattiin konstruktivistisen teorian näkökulmasta. Kehittä-mishankkeen pääasialliset tulokset olivat pohdintoja sekä oman opetustyön että ko. maisteriohjelman kehittämisek-si.The aim of the project was to analyse and develope ideas and experiences regarding personal teaching practices, and to enhance contents and methods of the Master’s Programme in Development and International Cooperation in order to reflect and respond to student feedback. During the project, one new study course was planned and implemented. For personal development objectives, teaching in the course forms the main source of information. Both personal and organisational development issues were discussed from the perspective of constructivism. The main results of the project were contemplations regarding development of educational practices, from personal and from the programme points of view

Gender and Disability : Challenges of Education Sector Development in Tanzania

In line with the UN Millennium Development Goals, the government of Tanzania has set poverty reduction as the most important challenge for the future. Education is a key sector in the long-term process of poverty reduction. Three of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) focus on gender. The Progress report (UN Secretariat, 2005), however, fairly strongly states that it is unlikely, that any of these three MDGs can be met, if women lack the education, influence and resources to care for their families, and to fully participate in the development process. In this paper, we analyse findings of previous research on gender and disability in the education sector development and explore ways to bring the socio-cultural perspectives into the sector development discussions.nonPeerReviewe

Enabling environments for equity, access and quality education post-2015 : Lessons from South Africa and Tanzania

In this paper we seek to contribute to the post-2015 education agenda by shifting the focus from considerations of what education goals and targets should be to a people-centred exploration of enabling environments, within and beyond education, for equity, access and quality. Theoretically, the paper draws on the capabilities approach. Empirically, we present data from two independent qualitative studies conducted in South Africa (n = 40) and Tanzania (n = 10) with university students who accessed higher education despite trends of low participation for their social class and/or gender. The paper highlights the importance of taking account of both instrumental and intrinsic values of education. Enablers in the domains of school, family and community are identified and their contribution to educational well-being and achievement are demonstrated.peerReviewe

Changing the heart and soul? Inequalities in Finland’s current pursuit of a narrow education policy

The Finnish educational system is well known for its excellent learning results, highly trained teachers and egalitarian values. However, when the political leanings of the government change, its policies are usually altered as well. In this policy report we give an account of the recent changes and current trends in Finnish education policy. We analyse the characteristics of the Sipilä Government’s current education policy since 2015 and compare it to the Nordic welfare-state ideals of universalism, equality and social justice which have traditionally been the key building blocks of the Finnish education system. The Government’s policy appears to be narrow-minded and ignorant of issues related to educational equality, stressing instead the importance of a flexible workforce and national competitiveness. We will reflect on the characteristics of Finnish education policy in light of the debate regarding academic capitalism and as part of an overarching trend of social inequality in Europe.peerReviewe