Inter‐ministerial cooperation and institutional development in education: breaking new grounds or treading old paths?

Abstract

This article examines ‘inter‐ministerial cooperation’ (IMC) in the education sector as a form of development cooperation, whereby a ministry of education in the north collaborates with counterpart(s) in the south for purposes of mutual interest and development. It explores the characteristics and dynamics of IMC, and addresses the question to what extent and under what conditions can such IMC provide a model for a new kind of ‘partnership’ that is effective both for providing technical assistance and for facilitating greater equality and reciprocity in the relationship. Within the context of divergent perspectives currently influencing international cooperation and using different levels of analysis, the article reviews two recent examples of IMC, one developed by The Netherlands in cooperation with South Africa, and the other by Norway in cooperation with both Zambia and Nepal. The reviews found that the parties involved had grave difficulties to agree on and articulate the potential of such cooperation, and that their activities, however useful to the southern partners, could not rise above the limitations of conventional development assistance. Although it was found that the IMC examples did produce innovative forms of ‘collegial’ collaboration at the micro level, these can only be taken to a higher level if parties have the courage jointly to define and apply new institutional rules about mutuality and reciprocity for the cooperation.