School-Enterprise
The School-Enterprise Model combines the provision of educational instruction and services to the local community. In real terms, education is embedded in real enterprise. Students are themselves part of the operations, producers of goods and services. These are sold for a profit, by a company set-up to cater specifically for the needs of education. In the following picture, a printing school builds on a company structure, and students learn the profession by executing real jobs. In this case, the company (iPrint SAL) was owned by a development organization (Al-Kafaàt Foundation). Students gain hands-on experience and boost their employment possibilities, while profits generated from the sale of goods cover the costs of education.
In countries with modest government spending on education and social welfare, the School-Enterprise model is a solution. It fosters high level education leading to employment while keeping costs contained. This allows youth from economically challenged environments, otherwise considered to be at risk, to make it in life and contribute to the wealth of the country. Though simple in appearance, for the model to succeed the School-Enterprise should be:
- Innovative
- Empowering and community-driven
- Accessible to markets
- Ambitious
- Scalable
“An Education for the real world”
This is what Education should ultimately serve: personal betterment of individuals and inclusion in the marketplace as contributors to society. For this to exist, Education has to respond to market needs and what better way to ensure it does but to bring students to perform while in their line of studying?
The following picture shows students reading a Bachelor degree in Special Education, at work at a real school. After a first year of observation in classrooms, students are hired as paid faculty, and are given a group of children to manage. From preparation of classwork to delivery, students are thrown in the mix, to perform in the real world, under the supervision and assessment of their University teachers.
AKU student in Special Education at work, while fulfilling her course credits (Al-Kafaàt, 2012)
Learning through Development
Learning through Development is an initiative that brings together two worlds that have naturally grown apart: Development and Education. The former is the domain of Non-Government Organizations, Foundations, and Government Agencies. On the private side, it is spearheaded by philanthropists and individuals with diverse motivations. On the official side, it is governed by the incumbent interests of administrations, dictated by the world’s events. Education, on the other hand, is the domain of Colleges and Universities, unique clusters for research, innovation and creative thinking. A pool of knowledge, yet these clusters are set by tradition to operate in secluded environments and are virtual incubators of ideas.
While Development is carried out by people with honorable intentions, they all-too-often lack the knowledge and expertise to implement complex programs. Educational clusters, on the other hand, foster this climate of knowledge and expertise, but they too have limitations, for knowledge and expertise are usually bounded within the limits of their campuses. Learning through Development looks at bridging these two worlds that sit at the antipodes. It seeks to dwell on the resources present at Educational clusters to serve Development programs in countries in need.
Opening Colleges and Universities to the real world has many virtues. By confronting students and researchers to the real problems of the world, and bringing them to perform their College requirements in a real environment, Learning through Development gives purpose to individual Education. It intends to inspire people to use their knowledge and expertise to serve a noble and higher cause. The direct effect is grand if measured against the individual achievements in a span of a lifetime.
Learning through Development was co-founded by Raif Shwayri, to provide service learning, research and development opportunities for students and faculty through guided and supported placements in the developing world. This strategy was inspired by SUNY activity in the Middle East (Lebanon) in a USAID-funded project through Higher Education for Development (HED). Through this project, community colleges were leaders in fostering a capacity-building partnership which brought to bear the knowledge available at several campuses at SUNY – from comprehensive colleges, to technical colleges and university centers.