The contribution of Western pedagogy and knowledge in the development of social work education in Nigeria: a coin of two sides

Abstract

Historically the development of social work education in most African countries has been strongly influenced by and modeled upon Western knowledge and pedagogy. Social work education has not been the product of a progressive indigenous social transformation but rather that of foreign practices imposed on African societies. This paper, therefore, examines the contribution of western pedagogy and knowledge in the development of social work education in Nigeria. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from 8 purposively selected social work educators and thematically analysed. Findings show that the curriculum that is used in Nigerian social work education is designed in line with European culture and orientation. Also, most textbooks used for social work education in Nigeria are from the Western context and thus, have not been able to aptly address the unique issues, culture and behavioural patterns of Nigeria. Therefore, there is the need for transformation of Nigerian social work education from being Western-centric to being Afro-centric while accommodating the relevance of its Western-centric origin. It is recommended that indigenous knowledge and culture should be incorporated and integrated into social work education in Nigeria to reflect and stimulate services that are culturally and nationally compatible.