Title: Indigenous Intercultural University (IIU)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Spain
Lead executing agency: Fondo para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas de América Latina y El Caribe, headquartered in La Paz, Bolivia
Overall term: 2005 to 2014
Indigenous Intercultural University (IIU): Building intercultural knowledge and dialogue on intercultural knowledge are both cornerstones of the work at the IIU; a student during a ritual, in Santiago, Chile 2013 © GIZ
Context
Under new laws introduced in many Latin American countries, the indigenous population is now recognised as part of a multicultural society. At the same time, the influence and rights of indigenous organisations are being strengthened. However, there remains a lack of institutions that empower indigenous men and women through education to effectively participate in governmental, economic and social structures, and which teach indigenous knowledge as an integral component of their curricula.
The present education system does not meet the needs of the indigenous population for education and training. Furthermore, indigenous women still have a lower level of education than their male counterparts and need more and better access to higher educational establishments. Traditional indigenous knowledge rarely finds a place in general higher education, with the result that valuable potential for intercultural dialogue is not being exploited.
Exiting courses on indigenous subjects are not designed to support the increasingly important role of indigenous peoples in today’s social and political processes, and in the implementation of internationally recognised indigenous rights.
Objective
The Indigenous Intercultural University (IIU) network has developed sustainable structures. The indigenous population has access to qualified university education that includes indigenous knowledge on an equal basis.
Well-qualified experts and managerial staff capable of assuming tasks in indigenous and intercultural affairs are available to assist indigenous organisations and Latin American governments.
Approach
Four networks belong to the virtual IIU network: indigenous universities (RUIICAY), conventional universities (RECAA), graduates (REUII) and the indigenous faculty (CII). Twenty-five conventional, indigenous and intercultural universities are organised in this network, most of which are in Latin America and one in Spain, along with indigenous wise men and women and the IIU graduates. Continuing education courses lasting three to eight months are offered, along with one-year specialist programmes and two-year master’s courses.
The project provides these IIU networks with technical, organisational and financial support for establishing and executing postgraduate courses of study specifically geared to the needs of indigenous students. It also promotes intercultural and inter-epistemic spaces for dialogue, efforts to strengthen the indigenous faculty, the organisational development of the project partner, knowledge management, and the sustainable operation of the networks.
The courses are being run as distance learning courses with some attendance required, to enable those women and men to study who are generally unable to attend university because of their working, living or income situations. The main portion of each course of study is taken via an online system. In the two attendance phases, indigenous experts on the faculty from all over Latin America teach modules on the history, world view, traditions and knowledge of indigenous people. The project’s most important innovation is the integration of this faculty into existing universities. The collaboration between western-oriented academics and those from an indigenous background provide a major boost to the intercultural learning process.
The IIU currently offers courses on the following subjects: Indigenous Law, Intercultural Medicine, Intercultural Bilingual Education, Governance and Public Policy, International Cooperation, Self-Determined Development, Preservation of Indigenous Languages, and Strengthening the Leadership Skills of Indigenous Women.
Strengthening and supporting the graduates within the framework of a dedicated network contribute decisively to the sustainability of the collective educational processes and to organisationally strengthening the indigenous managerial staff.
Results achieved so far
Academics and indigenous leaders have shown great interest in the postgraduate courses since their introduction. The high numbers of applicants and the almost 1,000 graduates over the nine-year term of the project testify to this interest. These applicants and graduates, more than half of whom are women, come from 20 different countries and represent more than 90 indigenous peoples. A tracer study following the progress of 40% of the graduates showed that by the end of 2010 they had all found employment in technical, professional or managerial positions. Ninety percent of the respondents are working in indigenous and international organisations or in government or academic institutions. Over half hold managerial positions.
There is also growing regional recognition of the indigenous faculty, which has meanwhile become a reference standard for alternative models of higher education. The network of indigenous universities has meanwhile also become a recognised project partner of European universities.
The projects serve as a model for showing how the interaction between modern and traditional knowledge adds social value and increases knowledge acquisition for the integrated development of Latin American nations. It represents an important step towards strengthening plural, intercultural models of society.