Presentation to ECSECC Public Seminars · Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET):...

Presentation to ECSECC Public SeminarsKorean Assistance in the Field of TVET in Rwanda

Prof Vibe Neuta

April 2015

You are invited to an ECSECC seminar

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): what can we learn from another African model?

Speaker: Dr Wiebe Nauta, Maastricht University

As Rwanda aims to implement an 'East Asian model' of economic and social

development, it has welcomed the help of Korea to realize its ambitious

development plans. The Rwandan government argues that TVET enrolment

and quality must be increased and that courses need to meet strategic demand

in, for example, ICT. Based on field research and interviews, Dr Nauta will ask

why Korea is such an attractive partner for Rwanda? Do the Koreans bring

something different to the table compared to other ‘traditional’ donors? Is an

East‐Asian model of development suitable for African countries and can it

really be implemented here?

Time: Thursday, 2 April 2015; 10:00 – 13:00

Venue: ECSECC Main Boardroom, 12 Gloucester Road, Vincent

RSVP to: [email protected]

Our speaker, Dr Wiebe Nauta, is based at the

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS), at

Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Dr

Nauta has substantial experience in various

African countries as well as in the Eastern Cape.

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Maastricht University

Korean Assistance in the Field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Rwanda:

implementing an East‐Asian development model?

ECSECC, April 2015

By: Wiebe Nauta & Tae‐Joo Lee


Research Questions

In this paper we look at the contribution of Korea to the improvement of TVET in Rwanda.

• Why is Korea such an attractive partner for Rwanda?

• Do Korean development actors bring valuable new experiences to Africa?


For Korea “becoming an aid donor is symbolically pegged to the notion of a shift to a more advanced and dynamic economic and political status, with implications for the balance of regional or even global power” (Mawdsley, 2012: 4)

“Just in the span of one generation after the Korean War, Korea achieved industrialization and democratization, and now aspires to become a global Korea.

Our success is the fruit of our people’s commitment to development and hard work (…), as a mature and responsible middle power, our country should take interest in and strongly contribute to resolving poverty and underdevelopment issues of developing countries, which is closely related to the peace and prosperity of our international community.” (MOFA, 2013)


Korea: from recipient to donor:

In the past decades South Korea went through a unique period of rapid development. From one of the poorest countries ‐colonized, war‐torn and aid‐recipient‐ to an economically advanced, democratic, aid giving country that plays a role on the global level: ‘Global Korea’


Saemaul Undong in Korea• State‐led campaign by the autocratic leader and

‘development hero’ President Chung‐hee Park;

• To modernize rural areas and to narrow the gap of living standards between urban and rural areas in the 1970s: cement, steel and agricultural support for villages;

• “Saemaul Undong [was] (…) not only an action based project, but also a mental reform based on the conviction that anything can be done and the will that we can do it”:– “Thatched roofs and mud fences were replaced with modern tiles

and cemented walls” (Korea Saemaul Undong Center , 2004: 5)

• Three principles: ‘diligence’, ‘self‐help’, and ‘cooperation’;

• A Political Project!


Korean Struggle History: Kwangju Uprising ’80

• Protest against Martial Law by Pres. Chun Doo‐hwan, after assassination of his uncle: General Park Chung‐hee;

• 600 Killed;• The Kwangju Uprising interjected a revolutionary fervor in

the social movement at large, based on ‘freedom theology’ and for the ‘common people’: MinjungMovement


• National Coalition for Democracy Movement in 1986;• Students, Intellectuals and Labour: blacklisted workers became “professional laboractivists”; students‐turned‐workers;

• Forced President Chun Doo‐hwan to announce the first free presidential elections in thirty 30 years• the 1987 spring uprising and the subsequent nationwide strikes opened a new political era in South Korea

South Korea Labour Unrest 1987


New Public Spheres: Korea

• eParticipation and eCommunities;

• ‘Netizen’, the ‘wired’ citizen in the information age;

• Alternative public sphere:

– Access to detailed information, free expression and the exchange of political opinions, online activism led by politicised agenda, and the active formation of cyber groups and culture

• One good example alternative online journalism:

– Ohmynews: “motto: every citizen is a reporter”

– Monopoly conservative newspapers is broken…


Role of ICTs in the Public Sphere


South Korea: Blacklist Campaign 2000 I

• Citizens’ Alliance for the 2000 General Elections (CAGE) to:– prevent the political parties from nominating ‘unfit’ candidates (rejection campaign);

– to defeat those who were nonetheless nominated to run in the elections (defeat campaign)

• Described as a ‘civic political revolution’, a ‘voters’ revolution’, ‘the second June Uprising’ or even a ‘civil revolution’.


South Korea: Blacklist Campaign 2000 II

• A list of 86 politicians, whereby criteria included:– past involvement in bribery scandals;

– violation of election laws;

– poor performance in legislature (absenteeism);

– past association with authoritarian regimes or military coups;

– negative attitudes to anti‐corruption legislation, et cetera.

The overall aim, and achievement, was to strike a major blow to conservative ‘the old boys’ network’.

• Ultimately, in the Seoul conglomeration none of the blacklisted candidates were elected.


South Korea: Anti‐Impeachment Campaign & Blacklist Campaign 2004• when Roh Moo‐hyun committed a minor breach of the

election law –saying he hoped people would support the Uri Party (UP) (after tension in Roh’s party, pro‐Roh forces proceeded to form the new Uri Party (UP)) in the general election– the opposition parties seized the opportunity to impeach President Roh:– thousands of citizens participated in a candlelight rally in Seoul ;– waging campaigns on the Internet to gather 10 million signatures;– the Constitutional Court reinstated Roh Moo‐hyun in May 2004

• Another blacklist campaign, partly targeted against politicians who had impeached Roh.


SK ODA to Africa• Cold‐war diplomacy (1960‐1990);

• President Roh Moo‐hyun historic visit to Nigeria in 2006: Korea’s Initiative for Africa’s Development;

• In 2009 the ‘Basic Framework for Korea‐Africa Development Cooperation 2009‐2012’: pledged to double its ODA volume to Africa to 200 million US$ up to 2012; while:

– expanding the number of trainees from Africa to 5,000;

– as well as sending 1,000 World Friends Korea volunteers to Africa;

• 2010: membership OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).


SK ODA to Africa“Korea understands that we are in a unique position to assist Africa based on Korea’s past experience in dealing with post‐war poverty and economic development. We alsohope to uphold our reputation as a ‘reference nation’ by many developing African states” (MOFA, 2013).

• Branding of Saemaeul Movement, ICT, Knowledge Sharing Programme;

• World Friends Korea (Peace Corps);

8 Partner countries: Ethiopia, Rwanda, DRC, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon (CPS countries)


Korean ‘Aid’ Actors• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA):

– World Friends Programme;

– Korea Saemaul Undong Centre (GONGO?);

• NGOs:

– Good Neighbors International;

– Global Civic Sharing;

• Korean Ministry of Agriculture:

– Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRCC);


Korean Aid Rwanda• Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) & Education:

– Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC) Kicukiro

• ICT:

– Optic Fibre Rwanda & ICT College National University Rwanda;

• Rural Development:

– Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement).


Rwanda

• Rwanda Genocide 1994;• Debt‐ridden;• Population from 8.1 Mil in

2002 to 10.5 Mil in 2012;• Densely Populated:

416/km2;• Low agricultural

productivity.


Rwanda: Vision 2020 In 2000 Vision 2020 outlines: how to “raise the people of Rwanda out of poverty and transform the country into a middle‐income economy” (Rwanda Government, 2000: 25).

Terrible stats 2000: Vision 2020 a pipe dream?• 64% of the people living below the poverty line of 1 $/day in 2000;

• Low life expectancy of 49 years;

• GDP per capita of 220 US $;

• Low literacy levels;

• Poor health indicators –HIV/AIDS prevalence of 13%, high malaria incidence, and high infant mortality.


Three Major Development Objectives

• For the short term a “promotion of macroeconomic stability and wealth creation to reduce aid dependency”;

• For the medium term “transforming from an agrarian to a knowledge‐based economy; and

• For the long term “creating a productive middle class and fostering entrepreneurship” (: 9‐11)


Pillars of the VISION 2020 Cross‐cutting areas of VISION

2020

1. Good governance and a capable state 1. Gender equality

2. Protection of environment and

sustainable natural resource

management

3. Science and technology,

including ICT

2. Human resource development and a

knowledge based economy

3. A private sector‐led economy

4. Infrastructure development

5. Productive and Market Oriented

Agriculture

6. Regional and International Economic

integration.


Effective Technocratic Governance

• Vision 2020 followed by:

– Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) in 2002 and 2008;

– Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) documents I and II in 2008 and 2013.

Ansoms & Rostagno (2012): “Rwanda has (…) received wide praise for its effective technocratic governance” (: 428)


AchievementsAccording to World Bank statistics:

• life expectancy has risen from 47 years in 2000 to 55 years in 2011;

• GDP has increased from $ 4.7 billion in 2000 to 14 billion in 2011; and

• economic growth figures have been around 7‐11 % for the past decade (World Bank, 2013)

In terms of Human Development the UNDP reports that the HDI has improved from 0.314 in 2000 to 0.434 in 2012 (UNDP, 2013); Moreover,

Rwanda ranked 50 in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012, the lowest in Africa after Botswana that ranked 30 (Transparency International, 2012).


Kagame Looks East“There are things I admire, for example, about South Korea or Singapore. I admire their history, their development and how intensively they have invested in their people and in technology. It was not so long ago that they were at the same level of development as we are. Today, they are far ahead of us.” (Der Spiegel: 2006)


Controversy

Many of the discussions of Rwanda’s track record in Human Rights take place in a highly polarized context. In some sense, as the government has also attacked international NGOs and critical academics at home and abroad, this polarization is also present in academic literature.


TVET & Education


2008 policy paper TVET Policy in Rwanda

“The fact that the Rwandan workforce, of around 4.6 million people, is characterized by low skill levels is a major barrier to economic and social development. Two‐thirds of the population completes some primary education, but only 3.5% and 0.4% complete secondary or higher education respectively. (…)

“Rwanda suffers from serious deficiencies in terms of trained human capital and this is more so for the technical professions. The impact of the 1994 genocide, which resulted in the massive loss of an educated and skilled workforce, further compounds the problem” (MINEDUC, 2008: 2).


Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2013 ‐ 2018: Shaping Our Development 1. “Skills and Attitudes” with a particular emphasis on TVET,

which “…will provide specific skills to meet labour market demand”;

2. “Technology”, with an emphasis on improving ICTs –internet and mobile technology– in terms of infrastructure and knowledge;

3. “Entrepreneurship, Access to Finance and Business Development”, in particular the stimulation and higher productivity of micro, small, and medium sized enterprises (MSME); and

4. “Labour Market Interventions” focusing on urban unemployment of skilled youth.


Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2013 ‐ 2018: Shaping Our Development Central role of TVET whereby the enrolment and qualitymust be increased.

Employers need to be involved in “…the entire policy process of design, provision, and evaluation of employment‐focused education” to ensure that TVET addresses real skills gaps in Rwanda.

Curricula need to meet labour market demand by, for example, strengthening ICT skills of TVET graduates. Rwanda intends to focus on so‐called priority sectors like mining, construction, ICT and tourism that have the highest potential in terms of job growth (MINECOFIN, 2013: 63).


IPRC KicukiroIntegrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC Kigali) Graduation“I cannot emphasize enough the role that vocational and technical education plays in the development of a nation, especially in a country like ours (…). People who finish here in such an institution will always find jobs or will always create jobs (…). Most progressive countries and emerging economies pursue polytechnic education. It is little wonder that they are vibrant and thriving today” (IPRC, 2011).


Korean ContributionStrengthening Infrastructure: Korea will help to establish vocational training institutions to serve various purposes and contribute to the creation of high‐quality job opportunities:

• Establish and upgrade educational facilities; and

• Provide equipment for technical schools and Training of Trainers (ToT) centers. To enhance sustainability and strengthen its functions, priority will be given to existing educational facilities;

Capacity Building: Curricula and educational materials will be developed and updated to increase the quality of education. Capacity building programs as well as technical assistance will be provided to ensure the quality of teachers and trainers, and the sustainability of institutions” (GoK, 2013: 8).


Five Fields Korean Support

• Construction;

• Electrical;

• Industrial Installation;

• Automobile; and

• Information Technology.


Achievements• Training staff that we spoke to, spoke animatedly about

their training experiences in Korea and some kept small Korean flags on their desks as a token of that experience;

• Symbolic value: In terms of the equipment it was remarkable to notice that every item featured a prominently placed red and blue sticker that contained the centre symbol of the Korean flag and read: Republic of Korea, Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA.

• Koreans bring to the table heir own recent development experiences, not tainted by a colonial past:– “Korea can give tangible examples that helped it develop over the past

twenty years and now they are competitive”


Global Ambitions

As the Vice Principal of Academics and Trainings at the IPRC explained:

“the people we teach here are going to work in East Africa, not only for our local industry. [In fact,] Rwandan human capital will work in the global market and send remittances to their country”.

And it is exactly that type of global ambition that is lacking when ‘traditional donors’ seek solutions to be implemented in Rwanda.


Global Ambitions IIThis indeed seems to suggest that, in the experience of the Rwandans, the ‘traditional donors’ from Europe often have a more paternalistic outlook on what Rwanda needs, when compared to ‘new donors’ like Korea.

According to the Vice Principal the traditional donors only focus on “what is possible on the ground, not what is possible in the global market”.

As another official explained: people, especially those with ICT skills can work, while being in Rwanda, for global companies like Samsung, “or can get a PhD from Eindhoven”.


Kicukiro Korean TVET Team


Kicukiro Korean TVET Team

Three of the four Korean team members, were retirees who had been involved, in the early phase of their career, in setting up the TVET system in Korea in the 1970s and 1980s in close cooperation with, what was called, the German Advisory Team (GAT).

It was this team of which the World Bank wrote: “The GAT’s effective technical advice contributed a great deal toward Korea’s vocational education” (World Bank, 1985: 10).


TVET ICT Centre


Very Short Development Cycle

• Strong emphasis on Korean equipment & infrastructure;

• Sustainability issues in terms of:

– Maintenance & replacement budget: iow long‐term investment/partnership?

• Rwandans trained in Korea very enthusiastic;

• The fact that retired Koreans are assisting in setting up the physical and curricular TVET infrastructure in Rwanda is fascinating. From recipients to donors in one generation.


Thank You!

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