Wednesday, June 29, 2022
  • About Us
  • ImagiNATION
  • Adverts
  • Rate Card
  • Contact Us
The Nation Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Columns In pursuit of development

The workshop mentality

by Dan Banik
13/01/2021
in In pursuit of development
3 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on LinkedinLinkedinShare via Email

Workshops that aim to strengthen individual and institutional capacity are a routine feature of the lives of administrators and development practitioners in large parts of the world.

By generating awareness on a particular topic or strategy and by providing necessary training for skills required to undertake complex tasks, workshops are frequently organised by a wide range of actors, including development agencies, civil society organisations and academic institutions.

But how useful are these for the oft-stated goal of building “capacity” in the civil service?

There has been considerable attention in recent years on the issue of allowances. Many organisers have for long lamented that workshops are impossible to organise (and few participants would indeed show up) without the per diem incentive.

And despite initial reservations of increased costs and the risk of trainees simply attending an event to boost their monthly incomes (and in the process neglecting their regular jobs), the workshop culture gradually became an accepted component of “doing development”. In an attempt to garner more attention on the learning component rather than supplementing meagre salaries, some agencies have proposed the full-board model.

This practice, where meals and hotel-related expenses are covered directly by the organisers rather than distributed as a cash payment to participants, has met with considerable opposition. Many civil servants claim that full-board is unfair—that rather than benefiting the hotel industry and their already well-off owners, the money is better spent by directly supporting the families of under-paid officials.

Apart from the per diem issue, I have long wondered how the knowledge and skills acquired during a training session are actually put to use in everyday life. What happens when newly trained individuals return to their work desks, where they typically confront a complex range of challenges—lack of equipment, costly, weak or non-existent Internet services, and the pressure to not criticise existing practices for fear of upsetting higher-ups. There is also the small matter of trainings not being particularly inspiring or relevant to resolving specific local challenges.

Then there is the constant stream of invitations, or a directive from one’s boss, to attend yet another workshop, perhaps with the added bonus of interacting with friends and colleagues in an exotic location. All of this can result in under-prioritising the tasks one is expected to perform at the office. But does this mean we should abandon workshops altogether?

Certainly not. The obsession with per diems can indeed be problematic when the financial incentive overrides the thirst for knowledge. But I do think we must not ignore the extent to which workshops actually achieve their intended objectives. Indeed, how new knowledge is applied to daily administrative tasks once a workshop is over is, for me, the more interesting question.

Previous Post

Never give up on resolutions

Next Post

Eight Bullets players recover from Covid-19

Related Posts

In pursuit of development

The future of aid

March 4, 2021
In pursuit of development

The Chinese approach to network-building

February 25, 2021
FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
In pursuit of development

The ethics of vaccine distribution

February 17, 2021
Next Post
Nyasa Big Bullets gearing up for next season

Eight Bullets players recover from Covid-19

Opinions and Columns

My Turn

US court threatens women’s rights

June 29, 2022
People’s Tribunal

Two years later and we are still singing same song

June 26, 2022
Big Man Wamkulu

Wife’s relatives have taken over my house

June 26, 2022
My Thought

Stop cyber harassment

June 26, 2022

Malawi-Music.com Top10

Trending Stories

  • ACB cleared Sattar contract—Documents

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Britain squeezes Zuneth Sattar

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • MET says cold, wet weather will continue

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mwanamvekha wants his case dismissed

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • K243bn Malawi trade deal on rocks

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

  • Values
  • Our Philosophy
  • Editorial policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism disclaimer
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

© 2022 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation

© 2020 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.