最新動向

消息及活動

消息及活動

Guest Lecture by Dr William Lo in Dr Ferguson's Undergraduate Course

2025-01-22

Dr Will Lo, Associate Professor in the School of Education at Durham University was invited to give a guest lecture to students in Dr Caroline Ferguson’s course PFS6061 Higher Education and International Development on Monday evening 20th January 2025. 39 students Masters students in the evening class attended the lecture. The lecture was titled ‘Examining International Aid to Education in a Global Context”.

Dr Lo delivered a lecture on international development and its connections with education within different interpretations of progress. He outlined that international development is composed of a wide range of theories and concepts, with geographies and histories. He highlighted the Post World War II period as a turning point for international development with proliferation of international organisations established to prevent global conflict, promote peace and address inequality. Dr Lo explained that education was recognised as a right and driver of development. The different agendas of international organisations were discussed in the context of tensions between the local and global. Dr Lo explained the rise of cooperation in the Global South, involving education as a form diplomacy, and as a mutually beneficial factor in development. 

The student audience appreciated the key questions posed by Dr Lo about what development means, the role of education beyond paradigms of economic rationality, and whether there is a universal road to progress. These questions provided students with food for thought that will be useful as they continue to explore the global and local perspectives on higher education for improving societies.

Short clip from the guest lecture

Written by Dr Caroline FERGUSON, COIL Facilitator