Submission to The Social Lens: A Social Work Action Blog by Chinyere Onalu and Uzoma Okoye, Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
It is time to update social work curriculum and make social justice part of the course title
Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal, economic, political and social rights and opportunities. It is also the fair and equitable distribution of power, resources and obligations in society to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, status, sexual orientation or religious or spiritual background. Inclusion, collaboration, equal access and equal opportunities are fundamental principles underlying social justice. Social justice exists because of social injustices that are prominent across key developmental areas including gender, education, health, and access to resources and opportunities. Nigeria ranks low in social justice; it currently measures 158 out of 190 countries with a score of 0.534 (where 1 is the perfect score). This reflects the state of the Nigerian social justice system, with many social injustices and inequalities such as widowhood practices, girl child marriage, female gentile mutilation and more.
The core of social work is the promotion of social justice, development, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Social workers are trained to challenge injustice and inequalities and to promote access to resources and opportunities. This cannot be effectively done without proper inclusion of courses bordering on social justice in the social work curriculum.
We are researchers and educators at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The aim of our recent research was to ascertain whether the content of the curriculum of the Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka meets these expectations.
What we did
Firstly, we wanted to find out if the social work curriculum has enough courses addressing social justice so as to prepare social workers for practice. Secondly, we wanted to know if educators address social justice issues as they should while they are teaching, and how practitioners have applied the knowledge they have received from these courses in handling cases of inequality and injustice in Nigeria.
We conducted both focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (IDI) with undergraduates and masters students of social work. Undergraduates who are in their penultimate and final years at the University of Nigeria were included; non-practitioners were excluded.
What we found out
We interviewed twenty (20) undergraduate students and four (4) masters students using both FGD and IDI. In our findings, all the participants noted that though not part of the course title, social justice was included in course curriculum. Courses like Social Work and Law, Ethno-cultural Relations and the Nigerian State, Social Work Intervention, Social Policy, Social Work Practice with the Youth, Social Work Practice with Children, Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Field Work Practicum, and Social Work and Gender were mentioned. It was, however, emphasized that problems lie with the teacher’s proficiency in delivering and teaching these courses.
Both the undergraduate and the post-graduate students agreed that educators play a huge role in bringing social justice into focus in these courses. This is because social justice content is often hidden, and only a good and informed educator can impart this social justice knowledge to the students. However, some of the participants complained that the problem often arises from putting what they’ve learnt into practice. They stated that the Nigerian societal structure makes it impossible to fight injustice. Nigerian culture, lack of professionalization of social work, and corruption were all mentioned as hindrances to the implementation of social justice.
What should be done
We recommend that some courses on social justice should be added to the social work curriculum to improve on existing ones. Also, the term “social justice” should be part of course titles and educators must always inculcate aspects of social justice in their courses.
There is also need for continual curriculum update and review to incorporate problems specific to Nigeria and Nigerians so that our domestic issues can be adequately addressed. Most importantly, the professionalization of social work in Nigeria is vital as it will give practitioners the legal backing to practice effectively and tackle issues on social injustices and inequalities.
THE SOCIAL LENS: A SOCIAL WORK ACTION BLOG - The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the original author(s) and do not express the views of the UBC School of Social Work and/or the other contributors to the blog. The blog aims to uphold the School's values and mission.
