Global and development education projects

Global and Development Education (GDE) forms an integral part of the official development cooperation of the Slovak Republic (SR). Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation (SAIDC) annually supports GDE projects in Slovakia through its call for proposals. The aim is to improve the integration, quality and effectiveness of development education as well as to systematically raise public awareness of development cooperation of the SR. The allocation for GDE projects in 2020 amounted to EUR 100 000.

In the years 2016 - 2020, SAIDC supported 19 GDE projects in the total amount of EUR 719 000. The projects were primarily aimed at integrating development issues into curricula at all levels of the education system, building the capacity of relevant actors as well as involving institutions in the GDE integration process. The key subjects in the implementation of the projects are traditionally non-profit organizations and educational institutions.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (MFEA SR), in cooperation with SAIDC, launched in October 2020 a pilot evaluation of 14 GDE projects, approved in the calls for proposals in 2016 - 2018. The effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and overall contribution of these projects to the development of global education in Slovakia were assessed. The results of the evaluation may be further used as one of the main sources for the creation of a new national strategy of global education. An overview of SlovakAid projects in the field of GDE, approved in 2016-2018 and implemented within official development cooperation in Slovakia, can be found in the Final Evaluation Report.

Projects approved in 2020 Global Development Education call for proposals

Edugame Migration (Butterfly effect, o.z.)

The main aim of the project is to systematically raise public awareness of the phenomenon of migration in the context of development aid. In cooperation with students, an educational mobile game on the topic of migration is to be developed. A methodological guide for the game will be prepared and 40 teachers across Slovakia will be trained to work with the guide and the mobile game. The primary target group are students of the 2nd level of primary school and of the secondary school. The game will be publicly presented and after the end of the project available within a special portal/program, which will combine educational games and pedagogical-methodological materials for teachers.

Global View of the World (Dvojfarebný svet, o.z.)

The leading activity of the project is a creation of a documentary about differences. It will capture 12 hours in the lives of three 5-years old children in three different countries - Slovakia, Lesotho, Cambodia. The film should be screened at several festivals and thus indirectly increase public awareness of development aid. Another activity is preparation of a special program for schools and kindergartens, which consists of a film screening, discussion and presentation about SlovakAid. A guide for volunteers planning to work in a developing country should also be renewed.

Educating the public on climate change and poverty in Africa with a new tool for calculating environmental debt (Integra Foundation)

The project goal is to raise awareness among the Slovak public about the impact of climate change on poor African countries and to support development cooperation. This will be achieved through educating activities and a new tool for the measurement of so-called ecological debt - climate calculator. The project will also include an awareness campaign on climate change and poverty, which will further present effective options for reducing ecological debt through agroforestry, including also the examples of successful SlovakAid development projects in Ethiopia and Kenya.

SAIDC has throughout 2016 – 2019 financially supported:

Study of global journalism at Comenius University in Bratislava and Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (in collaboration with the newspaper Hospodárske noviny)
Establishment of a 2-semester course of development studies at University of Economics in Bratislava
Creation of the portal www.globalnevzdelavanie.sk
Innovation of study materials in the field of urban planning at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Several methodological and pedagogical manuals, guides, publications, audio-visual materials, curricula, workshops, webinars and seminars
International conference on global education
Mapping the state of GE in Slovakia (primary and secondary schools)
Activities in a field of academic freedom, such as workshops, festival, course “Reporting on freedom” at University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava
Incorporation of the GE themes and capacity building of the pedagogues at different Slovak universities
Activities of UNICEF as part of the Child-Friendly Schools program
Multi-cultural education at the second level of some primary schools in Slovakia

What is global development education?

North-South Centre of the Council of Europe defines global education as “education that opens people’s eyes and minds to the realities of the world, and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice, equity and human rights for all. Global Education is understood to encompass Development Education, Human Rights Education, Education for Sustainability, Education for Peace and Conflict Prevention and Intercultural Education; being the global dimensions of Education for Citizenship.” This definition was also taken up in the key document on GE - the Maastricht Declaration of Global Education (2002).

Global development education is also an educational approach that leads to a deeper understanding of diversity and inequality in the world, the causes of their existence and the possibilities of solving the problems associated with them. By breaking down stereotypes and promoting independent thinking, GDE seeks to help develop practical skills and contribute to positive change on both local and global scale. The basic pillar of GDE is the need to understand the impact of globalization on human life and to understand the relationships between the lives of people from developed and developing countries. In this sense, the support of international development cooperation is an integral part of it.

The medium-term development cooperation strategy of the Slovak Republic for 2019 - 2023 in paragraph 6.1.3 defines as the main challenges in the field of development education the preparation of a new National Strategy for Global Education, as well as strengthening teaching of development education themes, including systematic introduction of GE topics into formal and informal education. In order to raise general awareness of development issues, emphasis should also be placed on the education of actors, especially leaders in non-formal education, teachers and journalists, who pass on the knowledge gained to the public.

In many European countries, GE has become an integral part of the education system, often thanks to strategic documents that have clearly defined and developed these topics and their importance. Slovakia currently has a single National Strategy for Global Education (2012 - 2016). The new strategy should be gradually prepared during 2021. SAIDC financially supported within the consortium project (SAMRS/2017/RV/2/1) the creation of the web portal www.globalnevzdelavanie.sk, which brings together institutions and organizations as well as documents and publications devoted to themes of GE.

Global education also has its place within the principles of sustainable development of the 2030 Agenda, specifically within the objective 4 - Quality education and point 4.7. Education for global citizenship.

In November 2019, an international conference called “Envision 4.7” was held in Helsinki, Finland (as part of the project Bridge 47 – Building Global Citizenship). It brought together representatives of institutions and organizations dedicated to GE. The aim was to create a roadmap for the institutions to gradually fulfill objectives of the goal 4.7. in Europe.

Cooperation with Global Education Network Europe (GENE)

GENE is a European network bringing together representatives of European ministries and development agencies in charge of global education to support and improve the coordination of GE in Europe. GENE also supports the development of evaluations on the state of GE and national strategies in individual countries (so-called peer reviews) and regularly organizes roundtables. GENE Peer Review of Slovakia took place in 2013. Slovakia has been a member of GENE since 2004 and regularly participates in roundtables, which take place every six months. Last RT no. 43 took place online in October 2020.

SAIDC signed with GENE for years 2017 – 2018 the Memorandum of Understanding, the aim of which was to support global education in Slovakia, as part of the GENE Increase and Innovation program. One of the goals was also the coordination of the implementation of projects and activities aimed at supporting and anchoring GE in the Slovak education system and cooperation among key stakeholders in this field. The main activities included: co-financing mechanism, preparation of the national consultation process and technical support. GENE thus jointly provided support in the amount of EUR 100 000 within the MoU with SAIDC.

As part of the co-financing mechanism, mapping of the state of GE in Slovakia and the second call for proposals for GDE projects were supported (SAMRS/2018/RV/2 ).

Within the technical support, a study visit to Portugal was organized, as part of the so-called GENE Joint Initatives. SAIDC, together with representatives of institutions of formal and non-formal education met during 19^th- 22^nd March 2019 with representatives of the Camões - Institute for Cooperation and Language and key actors in the field of GE in Portugal, in order to exchange experience in the field of GE. The discussions concerned the systematic integration of GDE topics into the education system, the mechanism and setting of calls for proposals for (not only) GDE projects as well as cooperation among relevant GE actors. The results of the mapping (under the auspices of Ambrela) and the manual for youth workers (RmS) were also presented. The space was also devoted to the topic of capacity building and teacher training, experience with the creation of a national strategy for GV and challenges for the future.

Responsible project and financial manager:

Mgr. Zuzana Kubalíková
Project and Financial Manager - Kenya, Sub-Saharan Africa, Development Education and Joint Programming
proj.dep@slovakaid.sk
tel.: +421-2-5978-2602

Projekty zamerané na globálne a rozvojové vzdelávanie

Globálne a rozvojové vzdelávanie (GRV) tvorí integrálnu súčasť oficiálnej rozvojovej spolupráce Slovenskej Republiky. SAMRS každoročne podporuje projekty globálneho a rozvojového vzdelávania na Slovensku prostredníctvom výziev na predkladanie žiadostí o dotácie. Cieľom je zlepšenie integrácie, kvality a efektívnosti rozvojového vzdelávania ako i systematické zvyšovanie povedomia verejnosti o rozvojovej spolupráci a témach rozvojové vzdelávania.