The International Development Education Academy in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, aims to nurture experts in the field of official development assistance.
The academy, run by Korea International Cooperation Agency, offers courses for all levels from elementary courses such as “Understanding International Development Cooperation,” to advanced courses including “Understanding Public-Private Partnerships.”
Understanding International Development Cooperation
The entry-level course offered at the academy, the class touches on all the basics including development both alone and in the context of cooperation, and official development assistance.
The coursework offers an understanding of how a prospective overseas volunteer may fit in the greater area of development cooperation, through the exploration of developing countries and the history of international development cooperation. Like most other courses at the academy, during two full days of instruction, the class explains why disparity exists among countries and the importance of development cooperation.
Understanding IDC ProjectsFor those with a basic understanding of international development cooperation, or IDC, the academy offers this course on how to put their knowledge to practice. The course helps students grasp the relationship between Korea’s IDC system and KOICA’s project system as a basis for their own volunteer goals.
The course also goes into the specifics of a project and how it is designed and implemented in the field using a Project Field Matrix, KOICA’s own special tool for projects. The academy also brings in those with prior experience in the field to share their experiences with the class.
Understanding Public-Private Partnerships
The academy has classes that dive into more specific topics like public-private partnerships, where companies take part in programs in collaboration with KOICA to carry out development aid projects in developing countries.
PPP was one of the newest topics focused on and discussed during the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan last November.
The class dives into topics including how KOICA plans to expand the use of PPP and how corporate social responsibility plays a role in IDC.
The course was developed for those looking to engage in PPP, business owners looking to expand their base overseas and those working with NGOs and public institutions.
By Robert Lee (
robert@heraldcorp.com)
