Fabrice Jaumont’s study is a welcome addition to the still small but growing corpus of research on American philanthropy in Africa, a sector that has yet to be fully analyzed or understood.
The discourse on priorities in African higher education is placed in a contested terrain, where grantors and grantees not only negotiate one another’s perspectives but also contend with inhospitable national contexts. In certain African countries, governments do not necessarily encourage the development of universities or international donors who are not overtly cooperative. Much to their credit, U.S. foundations have helped universities become self-sustainable and less dependent on government funding. They also succeeded in raising awareness about higher education in Africa as a sector worthy of financial support, thus making the case for Africa’s universities in national and international contexts. However, these foundations did not engage sufficiently with non-English speaking institutions, even when this was important to generate more equity and sustainability on the very sector that they sought to promote. Continue reading “The influence of U.S. foundations in Africa and the reinforced dominance of English”
The mechanisms of international philanthropy and foreign investment are extremely complex. Africa’s ecology of donors is composed of numerous international agencies, development funds, international foundations, and pan-African organizations that allocate their funds based on a number of environmental and institutional factors. These funds, however, are limited, and grantees oftentimes find themselves competing for resources. Donors thus wield a huge amount of power, shaping the development of the continent through their grant-making practices. This unbalanced relationship between grantors and grantees does not go by unnoticed, and American foundations are often criticized for enforcing a pro-Western agenda as they unilaterally set development goals and priorities. Meanwhile, recent literature on African higher education suggests that African scholars are calling for more ownership in the inception and implementation of programs so as to serve the cause of African development, not Westernization. Continue reading “Language and U.S. Philanthropy in Africa”
The following are the key messages discussed in the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report (February 2016): Continue reading “Quality Education should be Delivered in the Language Spoken at Home”
This book is vitally important at a moment when higher education is internationalizing and global partnerships proliferate. Jaumont asks that academics, funders, and practitioners think about that which they do by casting bright light on the hard won opportunities of a crucial partnership in African higher education and the challenges that remain.
In this book, Jaumont sheds light on the collaborative efforts of major US foundations on the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa. An important resource for those interested in understanding or improving educational philanthropy.
This book provides the reader with a window to peek into the world of foundations, a world that is often closed and not understood by the public. A must read for those interested in working with development agencies and for those depending on donor funding for development.
On March 20, 2016, I was honored with the Prix de la Diversité Culturelle, awarded by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the Committee of French-speaking Ambassadors to the United Nations for my work in bilingual education – aka the Bilingual Revolution – and my efforts to promote French in New York. Continue reading “Prix de la Diversité Culturelle for Bilingual Education and Promotion of French in New York”
200 schools in 30 states and 116 cities offer a French bilingual program in the United States. They serve approximately 40,000 children who each day are becoming more and more bilingual, bi-literate, and multicultural. The following directory lists schools that offer a K-12 day-time French dual language program, one-way immersion in French, and French curriculum schools. Whether public or private, these schools follow various models and pedagogical objectives. Yet, they all play a crucial role in educating children with a global mindset, and impacting both the local and global community that they serve. Continue reading “What 200 schools in 30 States and 116 cities have in common”
How do you identify yourself? Are you American? French? Mexican? Latino? African? Haitian? Canadian? Quebecois? As the world becomes increasingly integrated and interconnected, cultural identity has taken on new meaning and importance. The ability to understand our own culture and the cultural heritage of others is essential for our shared humanity. It is also a powerful asset in a world that is increasingly more interconnected and competitive.
On Saturday, April 12, we examined these topics at the Lycée Français de New York with leading educators, policy makers, entrepreneurs and practitioners from around the world. The conference “My Culture, Your Culture: International Education for Success in the 21st Century” explored cultural identity and diversity, and how best to prepare our students for success in the future. You can watch the video of the different panels below. Continue reading “ Conference “My Culture, Your Culture: International Education for Success in the 21st Century””
FABRICE JAUMONT 