Socially Responsible Higher Education

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Participatory research: Canadian adult educators build a global movement
(0000) Hall, Budd L; Jackson, Edward T
What role did Canadian adult educators play in shaping one of the most significant global research movements of the twentieth century? In this chapter, Dr. Budd Hall and Edward T. Jackson trace the history and evolution of participatory research as a major approach in adult education and community-engaged scholarship. The Participatory Research Group was founded in 1976 at OISE and was the Canadian node of the International Participatory Research Network. The group worked with labor, Indigenous organizations, immigrant associations, women’s groups, and other community-based organizations. It also describes important transformations in institutions, including the creation of international research networks, the expansion of community-university partnerships, and the emergence of programs like the Community-University Research Alliances (CURA) and UNESCO-supported initiatives that promote knowledge democracy. The chapter concludes with an analysis on lessons learned from five decades of practice and a reaffirmation of the ongoing relevance of participatory research for the advancement of equity, democratic participation, and socially responsive forms of education.
Social movements and the practice of citizenship: Learning in the canadian and global context
(0000) Aggarwal, Pramila; Hall, Budd L
How can learnings from social movements advance the practice of citizenship? In this paper, Budd L. Hall and Pramila Aggarwal argue that social movements are intensive sites of democratic learning where citizenship is not only claimed but actively practiced. They identify interconnected forms of learning. Informal learning among participants, intentional educational efforts within movements, and broader public learning that occurs as movements reshape public understanding. Knowledge generated in struggle travels beyond direct participants. Hall reflects, for instance, on how insights from the women’s movement transformed his own understanding of power even though he was not directly part of it. Drawing on the work of Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire, this paper situates social movements as spaces where learning, agency and structural critique converge. Movements generate new knowledge, identities and capacities for collective action, thereby expanding the meaning and practice of citizenship beyond legality and advancing adult learning as a lived, collective process. The authors posit that social movement learning can serve as vital sites for advancing adult learning and, by extension, deepening democratic citizenship.
Building a global learning network: The international council for adult education
(International Council for Adult Education, 0000) Hall, Budd L
What can we learn from the histories, tasks, and challenges of building global cooperation in adult education? In this chapter, Dr. Budd L Hall reflects on the emergence and significance of the International Council for Adult Education as a key step in strengthening international collaboration in adult learning. He traces its historical roots in post war movements for literacy, liberation, and development, and situates its formation within broader struggles for democratic participation and social justice. The chapter outlines ICAE’s early tasks, including building regional networks, amplifying voices from the Global South, and shaping global policy debates in partnership with bodies such as UNESCO. Hall also discusses internal tensions, funding constraints, and the political challenges of sustaining an independent global civil society network. By examining questions of direction, alliances, and accountability, he invites readers to reflect on how global networks can remain responsive to changing contexts while staying grounded in their transformative commitments.
Mass adult education: a necessary element in the development of socialism in Tanzania
(Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 1972) Hall, Budd L
How are socialist principles realised in a country where literacy is scarce? This article by Dr. Budd Hall discusses approaches to mass adult education in Tanzania in the 1970s that are sustainable in the long run, enable political education, and are grounded in the everyday struggles of the people. It focuses on two key aspects: technical and technological knowledge that can support agricultural production, and ujamaa ideology. Ujamaa, a Swahili term meaning extended family, seeks to move away from colonial forms of knowledge and align education more closely with Tanzanian values. By undertaking a qualitative and reflective analysis of education policies from the period, informed by practitioner experience, the article outlines how training cadres were developed through shortened training programmes and reduced pressure on existing school teachers, with adult education taking place in community centres alongside children’s education and other initiatives aimed at strengthening adult education.
Wakati wa furaha: An evaluation of a radio study group campaign
(The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, 1973) Hall, Budd L
The Wakati wa Furaha (Time for Rejoicing) radio study group campaign represented the third organized effort to employ radio-based listening groups as an educational strategy, emerging in response to the enduring and widely acknowledged challenges of adult education in Tanzania. This report presents an evaluation of the campaign, situated within the longer history of adult education initiatives in the post-independence period of the country. Radio served as a crucial medium through which educational content could reach millions of adult learners on a national scale. The campaign sought to foster a shared sense of national consciousness by tracing the nation’s development since independence. Drawing on findings from surveys and field observations that examine patterns of participation, attendance, and engagement among adult learners, the report assesses the effectiveness of the campaign as a means of advancing adult education programmes.
Tanzania mass education campaign
(Institute of Adult Education, 1974) Hall, Budd L
Engaging millions of people in an education campaign is a difficult yet powerful step in realising the full potential of adults in any country. This article offers a glimpse into how mass education campaigns were formulated, organised, and implemented, as well as the effects they produced in Tanzania. It delves into the processes that were central to the operation of the radio study group campaigns, including the recruitment and training of group leaders, the production and distribution of study materials, and the financial infrastructure that sustained the project. The programmes also placed emphasis on disseminating information related to health and political education through discussions around the radio programmes in the study groups. Drawing on Dr. Budd Hall’s experience and observations, the article gives a sense of what education, when decentered from colonial frameworks, looked like in practice, and how it functioned within the Tanzanian context.
Participatory research: An approach for change
(International Council for Adult Education, 1975) Hall, Budd L
How can research be imagined as an educational and transformative process rather than an extractive one? In this reflective essay, Dr. Budd Hall examines the shortcomings embedded within dominant principles of social science research. Drawing from his experiences as a researcher and his interactions with local education officers in the 1970s, he reflects on how research practices often alienate communities from the very processes meant to understand them. The essay explores key concerns around the ideological foundations of research, the ways in which social problems are oversimplified, and the distance from adult education principles. In doing so, it invites researchers to reimagine research as a dialectic, dialogic and ongoing educational experience which is oriented towards the liberation of human creative potential rather than the production of “neutral” knowledge.
The democratization of research in adult and non-formal education
(John Wiley & Sons, 1981) Hall, Budd L
“I AM NOT A PEACENIK”: Adult learning of development education in English-speaking Canada
(Canadian and International Education, 1983) Hall, Budd L
What can development education look like in a changing world order? In this article, Dr. Budd Hall reflects on the meaning of development education and the approaches of adult learning within it. Drawing on thinkers such as Freire, Tawney, Marx and others, he examines their fundamental principles and approaches to education, and considers how adult learning can be understood through their perspectives. He foregrounds the persistent and difficult questions that confront development educators across the world, particularly those related to power, positionality, access, influence and reflexivity. Through examples ranging from Gatt Fly in Canada to educators in Tanzania, he traces common threads across varied experiences. Reflecting on his own work, the experiences of other educators, and major intellectual traditions, Hall reflects upon how development education must respond to the challenges of a changing world order. He also emphasises the interdependence of countries and argues that development education must fundamentally recognise and engage with this reality. Situated in the 1980s, the article offers a critical reflection on the direction and responsibilities of development education.
Case study on the role of adult education in community involvement for primary healthcare
(1983-05) Tandon, Rajesh
Participatory research-Popular knowledge and power
(1984-09) Hall, Budd L
This article includes two chapters about the concepts of knowledge and creation of a monopoly over social science research along with offering an alternative in the form of participatory research. The first chapter discusses knowledge within the context of economic failure and the role of universities in the new international order. It talks about the commodification of knowledge which has facilitated capitalist dependency and an uneven development in third world countries. It further discusses the monopoly created over knowledge by a small group of elites to serve their own interests. Indigenous education around the world appears to be absent from the universal body of knowledge. The paper then discusses in detail about how research and social scientists are being used by institutions to impose bureaucratic and ideological control. It criticises the traditional research methods and opens discussion on an alternative methodology, in the form of participatory research. The next chapter further explores the concept of participatory research, its origin, and its characteristics. It talks about the importance of popular forms of knowledge and how it is linked with social transformation. It emphasizes the need for participatory research processes to be working within the frameworks of social movements. The chapter concludes with presenting some points to shape the future of participatory research.
Network as an instrument for strengthening adult education movement
(Society for Participatory Research in Asia, 1987-07) Tandon, Rajesh
Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the concept of ‘network’ in this text as a form of free-flow of information, ideas, and resources to strengthen social transformation movements and analyse its effectiveness in addressing the problems of our times. The report talks about two distinct responses to pressing socio-economic and political problems that have emerged in the last decade: a resource-packed response from governments and inter-governmental institutions, and second, more humble and innovative response from the non-governmental sector, which has been more effective due to its faith in ordinary people, and ‘network’ being part of this response. The report discusses the relevance of networks across six key points. These are providing alternative spaces for identifying issues that dominant institutional frameworks fail to do, elaborating newer ideas and concepts, functioning as a political strategy for dealing with retaliation against grassroots efforts, resisting attempts to narrow democratic spaces, identifying and supporting individuals working for the cause of social transformation, and enabling a rapid, exchange of information, experiences, and visions across cultures. Major characteristics of a network are also discussed in the report along with two possible pitfalls, which are creating networks across donor agencies instead of the issues, and abusing the spontaneity as a license for anarchy. The report ends by presenting a three-phase appraisal of the Participatory Research Network's history starting with the inception phase (1977-1980), the consolidation phase (1980-1985) and finally the diffusion phase (1985 onwards).
Role of NGOs in education for all
(Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 1989-11) Tandon, Rajesh
This article by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the different types of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in South Asian context and their potential roles in achieving “Education for All”. It categorizes NGOs into broad types based on their activities. These NGOs operate at different levels like local, regional, national, and international and understanding this diversity is essential for conceptualizing NGO roles in education. The article further examines the implications of these NGOs and notes five roles NGOs play in Education for All. First, service provision involving filling gaps in educational services in remote and poverty-stricken areas. Second, innovation and experimentation in curriculum development, non-formal education structures, participatory training methodologies, and community-based monitoring system. Third, community participation and social accountability, mobilizing communities to examine the value of education and developing mechanisms for making teachers accountable to communities. Fourth, intervening in current delivery systems of the government to revitalize and improve their capacities through training, curriculum design, and capacity building. Fifth, advocacy on questioning the education, monitoring government performance, gaps between policy and practice, and lobbying for equitable educational provision. The article concludes by identifying a few implications of these roles played by the NGOs.
Unity in diversity: The future of adult education in asia and the south-pacific region
(1991-12) Tandon, Rajesh
This text by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the challenges affecting our world and the role of adult education in response to these challenges, mainly in the Asia and South-Pacific region. Dr. Tandon identifies four major challenges, rapid internationalisation, Global capitalism and modernization on local cultures and knowledge systems, poverty, dislocation, and deprivation in many countries, the concept of common good disappearing from debates on social transformation and being replaced by individualistic well being, and the growing restlessness and associated violence with question of ethnic identities. The text concludes by arguing that adult education serves several roles amidst such challenges such as addressing the concerns, problems, and struggles of the poor, promoting tolerance and mutual appreciation where people learn to respect others' points of view, strengthening the possibility of a sustainable lifestyle, addressing environmental degradation and resource depletion, and finally, helping in gaining indigenous cultural identity.
Adult education, culture development and social movements: The contemporary challenge
( Society for Participatory Research In Asia (PRIA), 1993-04-27) Tandon, Rajesh
This article by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the challenges in adult education amidst the context of global cultural homogenization, social movements, and development, and highlights the importance of cultural identity in social transformation. Dr. Tandon describes the current global scenario as unipolar in nature, with a rise in global media that has led to the homogenization of culture and destruction of indigenous knowledge systems throughout the world, resulting in growing alienation of individuals, families, and communities. In this context, the article describes a craving within people and communities for their historical roots and identities. It also identifies a neglect in social movements since World War II, which focused primarily on economic and political issues instead of cultural dimensions of oppression and addresses the rise of new social movements in the past few decades for closure of this gap. The article concludes by linking the role of education with sustaining cultural identities urging adult educators to bring the issue of culture into development discourse.
Participatory evaluation in adult education
(Society for Participatory Research In Asia, 1994-11) Tandon, Rajesh
This text by Dr. Rajesh Tandon examines the challenges and issues of promoting participatory evaluation in adult education programmes. It critiques the limited concern with evaluation, which has historically been driven primarily by programme managers seeking to define programmes, assess impact, and justify resource use, and by donors facing increasing pressure to demonstrate effective utilization of aid. The text argues that this narrow focus has failed to translate into genuine concern among field educators or learners, who participate in evaluation exercises largely because they are obligated to do so rather than viewing evaluation as an integral part of their work. It identifies some threats to participatory evaluation like devaluing indigenous capacity, imposing narrow timeframes, discouraging openness, questioning, and reflection, particularly at field levels, and not promoting critical reflection and analysis. The paper concludes by stating how promoting participatory evaluation requires a major effort to demystify the concept of evaluation and create favourable conditions to make evaluation an integral part of adult education programme design and implementation.
Reflections on the fifth UNESCO world conference on adult education: Hamburg ,1997
(Asian-South Pacific Bureau of Aduit Education, 1997-08) Tandon, Rajesh
Civil engagement in higher education and its role in Human & Social Development
(Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 2007-07) Tandon, Rajesh
Over the past century the world has seen many social, economic and political transformations. It has transformed from a largely colonial era to a largely democratic one. Yet, while democratization of political culture guaranteed citizens’ rights and freedom, it did not result in democratization of learning and knowledge production. The change in education systems has been slow in the coming. Economic trends and civil society movements in the past decade have been facilitating changes in perceptions of what constitutes ‘knowledge’ and in redefining the mission and mandate of HEIs. With increasing demands on HEIs to scale up their teaching and research functions, HEIs are facing new challenges of contributing to human and social development. The meaning and agenda of human and social development has also changed over decades, and new civil society actors have been closely associated with this phenomenon. This chapter looks at how the engagement of civil society organizations with the world of higher education has resulted in interesting trends in social policy formation and knowledge production. Illustrated through examples of effective engagement between higher education institutions and social and human development efforts of civil society organisations – PRIA in Asia and The Afrikan Multiversity in Africa – the paper draws lessons from these interventions, highlighting future potentials for HEIs. Exploring alternative sources and modes of learning and knowledge production, the paper provides a vision of the possibilities that engagement with civil society can open up in terms of contribution of HEIs to social and human development in the coming decades.
Curriculum, higher education, and the public good
(2009) Hall, Budd L; Bhatt, Nandita; Lepore, Walter
Curriculum change in higher education is an extremely complex process. Influences on the content of what is taught in higher education include new knowledge coming from the various academic disciplines, from the regulatory bodies of many of the professions, from national calls for action, from global challenges, from social movements of the day. This chapter argues that in the search for excellence, engagement and social responsibility that there is no contradiction between responding to local calls for action and global matters. Illustrations of curriculum change which attend to both the local and the global include classroom changes, single university changes, system-wide changes in Canada, Asia, Latin America and New Zealand. We call for more attention to community engaged learning and the creation of central offices for community university engagement.
Citizen engagement in urban governance: Lessons from small and medium towns in India
(Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 2009) Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)
With the rapid expansion of Indian cities came new pressures on governance, raising difficult questions about how urban institutions could remain accountable and responsive to citizens. This report focuses on the role of citizen engagement in strengthening urban governance in India. This study, drawing on case studies and field experiences, examines how rapid urban growth has reshaped city management and points to the possibilities opened up when citizens are given space to engage with governance. The analysis shows that while policies and structures for participation exist on paper, many citizens, especially those from marginalized groups, remain excluded from these processes due to a lack of awareness, resources, or institutional support. The paper points to the need for deeper trust and stronger channels of dialogue between citizens and city governments to make engagement meaningful. By placing citizens at the heart of governance, the study underlines how democratic processes in cities can become more inclusive, responsive, and effective in addressing the needs of diverse urban populations, positioning participation as the foundation of just and sustainable urban futures.