Social work education in Zimbabwe: Strengths and weaknesses, issues and challenges

Social Work in Ghana: A Participatory Action Research Project Looking at Culturally Appropriate Training and Practice

“…For some, western education was deemed inadequate and inappropriate for dealing with the consequences of colonialism, poverty, government corruption, religious practices and other philosophical orientations. Many non-western social workers learned theories and methodologies alien to their cultures and encountered the additional burden of adapting these to their own country situation (Midgley, 1981;Venkataraman, 1996;Nimmagadda & Cowger, 1999;Kaseke, 2001;Burke & Ngonyani, 2004). Consequently, some social work programmes shed western-based curriculum for curriculum more appropriate to the needs of their country.…”

“Getting It Right: Creating Partnerships for Change”: Developing a Framework for Integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges in Australian Social Work Education

“…Cox and Pawar (2006, p. 9) make clear that the project of non-Western nations developing their own professional practices from their traditional foundations is of concern to the global profession, which necessitates, among other precepts, acknowledging that social work is a Western model which must be critiqued. At the same time, other social work writers, both academics and practitioners, find the term "indigenous social work" useful to describe their efforts to develop professional helping, care, and social change work from their traditions and practices (for example, Kaseke, 2001;Mwansa, 2010). These theorists see both strengths and weaknesses of the importation of Western social work and are willing to work with the strengths to overcome the weaknesses.…”

Searching for Appropriateness in Social Work Education in Botswana: The Process of Developing a Master in Social Work (MSW) Programme in a ‘Developing’ Country

“…The call is for social work to apply relevant values and knowledge that allow it to focus effectively on Africa's major social problems, especially poverty, high levels of HIV/AIDS infection, absence of socio-economic infrastructure, conflict, political insecurity, and lack of respect for human rights and social justice. Based on what is required to address many of these problems, it is also argued that social work in Africa must not be practised as it is in the West, 1 but must focus on a developmental role (Osei-Hwedie, 1990;Hutton, 1992;Mupedziswa, 1992;Midgley, 1995;Kaseke, 2001).…”