The receiving end: Namibian educators’ perceptions of international student exchange from the Global North

Abstract

This article explores Namibian cooperating partners’ perceptions of receiving pre-service teachers on international practicums. The article focuses on what they perceive as the main benefits and challenges of receiving the pre-service teachers and the potential for developing intercultural competence and global awareness through such arrangements. The Namibian partners were mostly positive about the Norwegian pre-service teachers, although there were also challenges related to differences in cultural and educational backgrounds. The findings are discussed in light of postcolonial theory. The article concludes that a stronger focus on the school and its place in the local community may make the travelling pre-service teachers more capable of understanding the local realities, and thus open to morenuanced dialogue and learning.