What does "partnership development" mean when it involves the Global North and the Global South? Avoiding new-colonial mindsets and practices

For more than a week, we have been meeting with different educational stakeholders in Ghana as we explore what inclusive education means and the types of resources needed to help teachers support students with disabilities and special education needs.

Picture taken at Ghana International School

Today, we wrapped up meetings with the Ghana Education Service (akin to Ministry of Education) and Ghana International School to discuss next steps in developing our partnership.

The goal of the Partnership Development Grants of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) - which has funded this study - is to engage potential partners in collaborative research projects. Today, we mapped out a number of potential directions our research partnership could take over the next few years. These included the possibility of working with experienced teachers, working with new teachers, working with those who are preparing to be teachers, or working with school heads to support their knowledge and resource development related to students with special education needs.

Our meetings with the Ghana Education Service (GES) have been illuminating. The director of the inclusive education unit has expressed some hesitation in the development of the partnership. She clearly wants to ensure that our work aligns with the strategic direction of the GES. She wants to prevent duplication of services. She has also indicated that she is concerned when organizations do work in Ghana but her department does not know about the research or receives a report about the research but without input from her department. These are legitimate issues and I really appreciate her attention to ensuring that the partnership is truly a partnership.

Picture taken at Ghana International School

In a way, she is expressing concern about a form of neo-colonialism in the research realm. We typically think of colonialism or neo-colonialism as being political, economic, and military-related when a particular government or group dominates and controls another group or region. But as researchers we have to be cautious that we are not perpetuating a form of neo-colonialism when we do research in the Global South in the name of "improvement" without fully and authentically engaging and working with local stakeholders.

One of the aspects of the SSHRC Partnership Development Grant program that I really value is that organizations have up to three years to foster the development of partnerships. This provides an opportunity for relationships to be fostered. Out of relationships comes the opportunity to demonstrate reciprocity and build trust. As we plan for further work in Ghana, these aspects will remain foundational as we look to build partnerships that can explore issues of real importance without perpetuating a neo-colonial mindset and practices.