Reconsidering social work education in Namibia: past, present, and future

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article considers the past, present, and future of social work education in Namibia in three parts. The first provides the historical context of colonization, liberation struggle, and post-independence social welfare. The second discusses social work education pre- and post-independence, focusing on the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) programme and the challenges of developing an indigenized curriculum. The third on curriculum review focuses on an indigenized curriculum that fits a developmental social work approach and indigenous helping processes in local contexts. The authors propose a conceptual framework for curriculum review that draws on the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development and Namibia’s fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), which are compatible with the integration of indigenous and Western social work approaches and developmental welfare goals, respectively.