I want to start off by sharing the book The Beautiful Tree by James Tooley. The subtitle of the book explains premise perfectly: "A personal journey into how the world's poorest people are eduating themselves." I found this book during my research. I have added it to my reading list, but have not yet read it. You can find a summary here.
Liah Shonhe holds a Masters Degree from the University of Botswana in Library and Information Studies. In her 2019 paper A Consolidation of Challenges Faced by School Libraries in Developing Countries, Shonhe states that "a school library is vital to the learning and teaching activities of any school as it acts as an information hub and an innovation centre. A school library is a place where sustaining literacy, self-education and lifelong learning is inculcated and nurtured to children, pupils, and students." (2019) Table 1 of her paper lays out many of the downfalls seen in school libraries in developing countries.
She gives a very well-researched list recommendations from other academic studies as well as a list of her own recommendations. Many have to do with policy changes at various levels from local to national, but one of Shonhe's recommendations stood out to me: "developing countries should consider embracing technology and fast-track rural network connection. This will ensure that school libraries provide access to the internet and up-to-date information to students." (Shonhe, Page 9)
Books are a wonderful source of information, especially when the internet is not readily available in all parts of the world, but books take time to publish. New research and new points of view come to light that change everything. Mobile devices provide access to a plethora of information at your fingertips. In places where wifi is spotty, having a hub like a public or school library with a good connection is key to ensuring people stay educated and up-to-date.
The question of whether or not libraries in developed nations should rely on donations and weeded books from developing nations is a no-brainer to me. Why would they want what we don't want? The west has a "white saviour complex" with many real life examples here and here as well as in film solidifying the notion into western society. According to Witten, Loots, Trujillo, and Bainbridge in The Promise of Digital Libraries in Developing Countries, "notwithstanding and often rudimentary computing environment, users in developing countries should be empowered to produce digital library collections themselves, not just consume information produced elsewhere." (Witten et.al, Page 84) This doesn't mean that anything we shouldn't be global citizens and that we shouldn't offer our help/research/information, but we need to remember that it is a two-way street. Education isn't about giving information, it is about facilitating learning for all parties involved. The context of education in Canada is not the same context for education in India or Norway or even the United States. Having access to technology means we can all learn from and share information with each other.
References:
Bakar, F. (2019). What is a White Saviour Complex? Metro News UK. Retrived on October 26, 2019 from https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/06/what-is-a-white-saviour-complex-8793979/
Coughlan, S. (2019). JK Rowling Calls for End to "Orphanage Tourism." BBC News. Retrieved on October 26, 2019 from https://www.bbc.com/news/education-50174587
Jay, P. (2018). Here's Where Your Donated Clothing Really Ends Up. CBC News. Retrieved on October 25, 2019 from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/donated-clothing-where-it-ends-up-1.4662023
Shonhe, L. (2019). A Consolidation of Challenges Faced by School Libraries in Developing Countries. Library Philosophy and Practice (E-Journal), Retrieved on October 24, 2019 from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5867&context=libphilprac
Tooley, J. The Beautiful Tree. Washington DC: Cato Institute, 2009.
Wikipedia: White Saviour Narrative in Film, Retrieved on October 26, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_savior_narrative_in_film
Witten, I. H., Loots, M., Trujillo, M. F., and Bainbridge, D. (2001). The Promise of Digital Libraries in Developing Countries. Communications of the ACM, 44:5, Pages 82 - 85.
Here are some other interesting articles I found on the topic that did not make it directly into my post:
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). https://www.ifla.org/about
Tarimo, R. and Kavishe, G. (2017). Internet Access and Usage by Secondary School Students in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology, 13:2, Pages 56 - 69.
What an interesting topic this week. I have really enjoyed reading everyones blog post as it provides me with many different outlooks on the same topic at hand. Thanks for sharing your journey into becoming a teacher. I always new a wanted to be a teacher, however realized I wanted to gain some experience before starting this journey. I decided to teach english in Costa Rica, in a small rural town. During my time here I realized just how lucky we are in Canada to have internet access within individual spaces like our homes. This town did not have a public library, however they did have a little internet hub where they had 5 computers available. I personally used this as a way to communicate with my family. It was interesting seeing how locals used the resources of internet as they too communicated with friends and families in other towns. As well as providing them with relevant information. Im curious what this little internet hub has turned into since my visit. Im also curious how locals have adapted and gained more knowledge and use out of the internet.
ReplyDeleteWell done post with a powerful introduction into your own reflections and motivations into becoming an educator. Your research found a very interesting book and published paper that is current, insightful and maintains and build rationales for support and investment in appropriate technology and community based resources. Overall, this was a very well done blog post that captured a lot of good information, perspectives and personal reflection.
ReplyDeleteHi Natalee - I really enjoyed reading your post and feeling your enthusiasm for this topic. I felt a little overwhelmed by the topic this week but your post really highlighted some fantastic information. I liked that you mentioned the research behind the 'white saviour complex' - it is something I have considered before but it is easy to be blind to it. The Beautiful Tree looks like a really interesting book and I added it to my reading list also so thank you for that recommendation. You mentioned the need for countries to embrace 'fast track rural networks' and I wonder who that responsibility falls to where it concerns school libraries? Should it be funded through the education ministry or as part of general infrastructure? It is a difficult issue and I think that finding the money for these projects and ongoing maintenance is a challenge for many parts of the world. Including under-serviced rural areas in large countries like Canada and Australia.
ReplyDelete