Dr. Naomi Mmapelo Seboni
Head: Department of Nursing Education, University of Botswana
Director: WHO Collaborating Centre
President: Nurses Association of Botswana

Paper presented at the Conference on International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing: Vision and Strategy for the International Doctoral Education, June 17th, 1997. University of British Colombia, Vancouver, Canada. Co-sponsored by the University of Michigan and University of British Columbia.

Introduction
The end of the cold war led to the emergence of the New World Order which resulted in formation of regional groupings. These economic groupings enabled countries to pool together political, economic, and scientific resources which have great potential for development. The Southern African countries economic grouping was initially called Southern African Development Coordinating Conference (SADCC) - and this has now evolved into Southern African Development Community (SADC). "This development re-affirms the desire and commitment of the countries in the region to combine their efforts to achieve an integrated whole" Koma, 1995 pg. 4).

The discussions will be based on the Southern African context. The Southern African countries include Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. These countries share the common history of colonialism: Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland, known as sister countries, have a long history of sharing resources; for example, the nurses had a common curriculum; and the students took common examinations. Currently the Southern African countries together with some East and Central African countries are grouped under the umbrella of Southern African Development Community (SADC). The strengths of each country are identified, and each of the countries is designated a centre of excellence for the area in which it excels. Also, the nurses established the East, Central and Southern African College of Nursing (ECSACON) whose mission is to promote a sustainable development of nursing in this region. ECSACON falls under the Commonwealth Health Secretariate for East, Central and Southern African region based in Arusha, Tanzania.

The above illustrates that the collaborative effort and partnerships in developments characterize the nature of socio - economic development in Southern Africa. The theme for this symposium is timely as many countries are addressing health care reforms and their implications for health personnel. In Botswana, we are presently engaged in the project 'vision 2016' and nurses have to make an input regarding the envisioned developments in nursing education in the 21st century.

Strategies to Support Developing Doctoral Education
The environment for putting up strategies to support developing doctoral education in the Southern African region is conducive: However, the challenge is how the advanced nursing schools in the developed world can assist those who aspire to develop doctoral and post doctoral education.

Development of Appropriate Curricula
Existing doctoral programmes need to develop curricula that are relevant not only to the needs of their developed world, but to those of the developing world as well. The curricula must accommodate the Agenda for the Global Community without jeopardizing the specific needs of and aspirations of the regional groupings. It is essential to develop a critical effective mass of academics who can develop and implement doctoral programs within the region to improve the quality of life of its population.

Faculty in advanced doctoral programmes, for example, must recognise and be aware of the fact that doctoral graduates from developing countries are often given national, regional and international assignments, and are expected to take leadership at national level as soon as they return to their homes. The question is - Do the current doctoral programmes address this reality? Provision of doctoral education that addresses realities and complexities of the global market place is long overdue.

Contexualization of the curricula
When Southern Africans receive their doctoral education, they never have the opportunity to do a post - doctoral programme. What happens is that they continue to uphold and perpetuate ideologies of their schools. Often most of the nursing world adopt American ideas without questioning their relevance to their culture (Ketefian and Redman 1995). Doctorally prepared nurses need to avoid reproducing themselves. This can be overcome by mounting post - doctoral programmes within the region where faculty from their schools could equip them with knowledge and skills beyond doctoral degree. Gloria Smith (1995) asserts that American Universities need to develop curricula that meets the expectations of the global society in new millennium. "The challenge of the profession is to determine just what is the right preparation based on each country's particular situation" (ICN, p28). This will enhance nursing excellence and scholarship.

Networking
This can be realized through different measures such as faculty exchange, professional visits, conferences, and others. Doctorally prepared nurses should be given an opportunity to teach in well established doctoral programmes.

Such an experience will expose them to good role models; and familiarise them with the resources required for running a doctoral programme. Also, doctorally prepared candidates will have the opportunity to test their ideas in a supportive environment. Following this exposure these nurses will be in a better position to develop doctoral programmes that will adopt collaborative teaching and learning approaches.

Traditionally, exchange programmes have only catered to faculty from developing worlds to visit centres of excellence in the developed countries. However, for purposes of support of developing doctoral programmes, faculty from advanced schools need to teach in developing countries programmes in order to have an appreciation of how it is to teach in such an environment. Partnerships enable the pulling together of effort and resources regionally and internationally. It allows sharing of expertise, experiences and the technical know how (ADEA newsletter 1997).

Post-doctoral programmes that are implemented within the region will provide a rich environment for Southern African scholars to exchange ideas and develop solutions for health problems experienced in the region. Also, faculty that run post - doctoral programmes for Southern African scholars will require a thorough understanding of our situation and therefore, enable us to be responsive to our own situation, rather than being a replica of the scholars prepared for the developed world. Doctoral Education should enable the graduate to identity with her/his people and appreciate the beauty of the good things in her/his culture. The graduates should be able to challenge cultural practices that interfere with the quality of life.

Sharing of Scarce Resources in the Region
There are a handful of doctorally prepared nurses in the region. It is essential to facilitate sharing of this scarce resource through established network such as SADC, East, Central and Southern African College of Nursing, and others. Southern African Universities can assign one University to coordinate doctoral education, and each University could concentrate in areas of specializations in which it excels. Southern African nurses have to identify the strengths of South African Universities that offer doctoral education: now that South Africa has joined the international community. Beukes (1995) states that nine South African Universities offer doctoral degrees in nursing, the prevailing and encouraging trends.

Recently it is very difficult to recruit expert nurses to work in Southern Africa due to a decrease in the value of our currency and other problems. On the other hand, our willing colleagues in the developed world find it very difficult to risk their jobs for short term assignments. Therefore, a regional doctoral programme that is carried out on partnership with some centres of excellence in the developing and developed world would be the best initiative for Southern African nurses.

Collaborative Research
Southern African nurse scholars need to engage in collaborative, cross-cultural studies with faculty in advanced schools. Doctoral students in the region could also be involved in these studies and benefit from the expertise of renowned nurse scholars. This will provide an opportunity to examine Southern African philosophy and also, allow the testing of models and the development of other models that could shape health care paradigm which will guide the research methodology and practice. Collaborative research could be guided by Southern Africans philosophy and thus enhance the building of the science of nursing. The candidates would engage in research whose findings would address the prevailing and encouraging trends.

The focus should be to prepare professionals who could provide leadership in provision of cost effective and appropriate quality care. The trend now is to engage in community based, community designed and driven initiatives. This measure will enable nurse scholars to offer doctoral education that addresses social policy issues, values, beliefs, and economic and political structures of the populations that the graduates would serve, (Oulton, 1997).The development of nursing in the 21st century calls for effective partnerships in the nursing global community.

References
A report of ARISTA II. Healthy people; Leaders in partnership. (1996) Nursing Leadership in the 21st century. Indianapolis: Sigma Theta Tau International.

Beukes, M. (1995) Doctoral programs in South Africa: Issues and challenges. In Ketefian, S. (Ed.). Generating Nursing Science in the global community. Proceedings of the 1995 Annual Forum on Doctoral Education in Nursing. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan School of Nursing. ICN (1995) Nursing Education: Past to present Vol. 1: Current and future trends. Geneva: ICN.

Ketefian, S. and Redman, R. (1995). Nursing Science within the Global Community Background Paper No. 1. In Ketefian, S. (Ed). Generating Nursing Science in the Global Community. Proceedings of the 1995 Annual Forum on Doctoral Education in Nursing. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan School of Nursing.

Koma, K. (1995). Presidential address on the occasion of the 1995 Botswana National Front Conference at Molepolole.

Oulton J. (1997). International Trends in nursing professional development. International nursing review 44, 2, pg. 47 - 56.