2026 CALL for APPLICATIONS in the decolonial German-Ghanaian student-tandem project (ASA Academia global)
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2026
Our new German-GHANAIAN tandem-project (#1104) under the ASA Academia global format programme (Engagement Global) offers 4 (possibly 6) full stipends for 6 months again!
Every year, the general Call for ASA applications lists over 150 projects worldwide, for which German students or young professionals between the age of 21 and 30 can apply by 20 January.
Find the world map of project sites on the Engagement Global website https://asa.engagement-global.de/ and then use the project finder: https://asa.engagement-global.de/de/projektfinder
Alternatively, go directly to our own project #1104: “Shaping educational change: recognizing and breaking colonial patterns in teacher training curricula”
German title: “Bildungswandel mitgestalten: Koloniale Muster erkennen und aufbrechen”
and apply for a 6-month decolonial learning-teaching-experience with a direct partner from our Ghanaian partner university, the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The first project phase in the summer term takes place at the University of Education Karlsruhe (90 days, April to July), the second at UCC (September to December, also 90 days).
This Call offers 2 (maybe 3) full stipends (“BaFög-Satz”) to the German project participants, with plenty of scaffolding. (The Ghanaian participants are equally fully funded.)
The decolonial and bi-directional project framework of our last two ASA projects 2024 and 2025 continues, but the planned activities and tasks now focus on the intersection of PHKA/UCC research and field work at local primary and secondary schools, and our findings will be prepared for publication. We continue to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #4, #10, #16, #17 (details below) through bi-directional decolonial un-learning and re-learning.
It is not only important at what we look but from where we look. Therefore, a necessary condition for critically analysing our respective English language teaching practices, materials, and curricula in Germany and Ghana is that participants are prepared to continually and critically self-question and analyse their own thought patterns, convictions, and beliefs. This is faciliated and triggered via the bi-directional approach of working with a tandem-partner from the partner country.
Partner country: GHANA
Partner universities: University of Education Karlsruhe (PHKA) & University of Cape Coast (UCC)
Deadline for applications
Germans apply here by 20 January: Project #1104 (Engagement Global website)
Ghanaians apply here by 8 January: UCC website (Institute of Education page); for preparation, read up on the ASA programme to understand its broader goals
The shortlisted Ghanaian applicants will be interviewed live on 16 January at UCC.
The selection of the German shortlist is scheduled for mid-February. An invitation for an online orientation talk will be sent out to the shortlisted applicants straight after.
Project details
Start of project phase in Germany: 15.04.2026
End of project phase in Germany: 31.07.2026
Start of project phase in Ghana: (the formal start is 15.07.2026, the effective start is the second half of September)
End of project phase in Ghana: 31.12.2026 (90 days, September to December)
Partner institutions: University of Education Karlsruhe; University of Cape Coast
Spaces: 2+2 (2 Germans, 2 Ghanaians), possibly 3+3
SDGs: #4 Quality Education; #10 Reduced Inequalities; #16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; #17 Partnerships
Field(s) of study (category): Linguistics and Literary Studies; Teaching, Pedagogy and Educational Science;
Field(s) of study (specification): English Studies
Mandatory language(s): English
Additional language(s): Twi/Fante (local language)
Scholarship category: full stipend
Project description
Colonial patterns of thought are deeply embedded in society, education, and language. This project addresses precisely these structures: through the collaboration of two universities, institutions, curricula, processes, international partnerships, and forms of knowledge production are critically examined and decolonized. A particular challenge in this regard is the English language, in which colonial power relations continue to persist to this day. The aim is to put postcolonial approaches into practice and to establish new, more equitable perspectives in education and exchange.The project addresses the colonial legacy embedded in English Language Teaching (ELT) practices, methodologies, and curricula in both Germany and Ghana by employing a bi-directional learning-and-teaching approach as a decolonising framework. The activities in this programme are designed toward global teaching of English(es)1 and decolonising teacher education.
Project application excerpt
In Germany, ELT curricula often prioritise Euro-Anglo-centric perspectives, with limited exposure to non-Western knowledge systems and decolonial theories, which is mirrored by imbalance in international collaborations where knowledge transfer predominantly flows from the Global North. Similarly, in Ghana, the ELT curriculum continues to reflect colonial influences, emphasizing grammar-based instruction and Western texts, which marginalize indigenous knowledge systems and localised content
This project (self-)critically engages both contexts in a mutual learning process that deconstructs these colonial paradigms in ELT, redefines knowledge(s), designs decolonial English language teaching units, and fosters equitable, culturally inclusive educational practices.
The project suits you if you
• are willing to critically reflect on your ways of thinking, learning, and researching,
• are interested in teacher education, curricula, and structures at universities, as well as in the English language,
• enjoy planning English lessons or facilitating workshops and have some initial teaching experience.
Master theses can be written in the context of this project, and project results may be prepared for a publication.
The University of Education Karlsruhe (PHKA) has gained a reputation in research and teaching in the fields of democracy education, educational processes in the digital world, and sustainable development. It offers teaching degrees for primary and secondary schools as well as specialised Masters programmes, including “Migration, Education & Democracy”.
To the website of Pädagogische Hochschule Karlsruhe
The University of Cape Coast (UCC) is a public institution committed to innovative teaching, delivering quality education through comprehensive, liberal and professional programs that promote creativity and responsibility among learners. UCC plays a significant role in pre-service teacher education and in-service teacher professional development, equipping educators with skills, knowledge and competencies needed to improve teaching quality and learner outcomes aligning with SDG #4 (“Quality Education”).
To the website of University of Cape Coast
Impact Ranking 2022: “The University of Cape Coast is the topmost ranked University in Ghana and West Africa and it is among the top 5 Universities in Africa in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The University of Cape Coast also ranks first globally for research influence.” https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-cape-coast
We look forward to receiving your applications!
Best regards,
Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin (PHKA, Germany) & Dr. Christopher Yaw Kwaah (UCC, Ghana)
Text by I. Martin
Photos by I. Martin & Engagement Global
Note
1 During the ASA project Phase 1, our concurrent DAAD pilot project “Get Ready for Global Teaching!” (2025-2029) will facilitate synergies with incoming students and lecturers from our other partner universities.
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