'Knowledge is not Power': The Dynamics of Education and Power in Developing Countries

In person tickets are now at capacity. Please register to join online.

Join the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the Politics of Education (POLED) network for our second joint seminar. The POLED network is a student-led special interest group in the Faculty of Education, designed to foster critical discourse about the politics of education amongst scholars, practitioners and policy experts. The network is exploring the role of political economy in addressing the contemporary issues facing education in developing countries.

This seminar will host Dr. Joe Abah discussing: 'Knowledge is not Power': The Dynamics of Education and Power in Developing Countries

Education imparts knowledge, skills and values and equips individuals with the ability to innovate and positively impact society. Beyond the contestation of power, Politics promises a better life for individuals and aims for a better society. Arguments that Politics must not be allowed to 'taint' education are unrealistic. So are arguments that "Education can play no part in politics." In many developing countries countries, education indeed plays no part in politics. The result is that many in power lack the critical thinking skills required for solving difficult development challenges. This seminar argues for a symbiotic relationship between Education and Politics.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Joe Abah, DAI’s Country Director for Nigeria and Visiting Fellow of Practice at Oxford University, is an internationally recognised expert in governance and institutional reforms, political economy analysis, and change management. Between 2013 and 2017, he was the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms in the Nigerian Presidency. Before that, Joe led several international development programmes for various donors. Prior to returning to Nigeria from the United Kingdom in 2003, he was at the forefront of governance reforms in the United Kingdom, including driving public service reforms from the Prime Minister’s Office of Public Service Reforms in the United Kingdom Cabinet Office.