Education for development
The prince of pioneer missionaries both in Malawi and Zambia, Dr Robert of law of Livingstonia was often heard quoting a German maxim “what you want to seek within the country first put it in schools.”
For most African countries south of the Sahara more than half a century has passed since they achieved freedom from colonial rule. At the beginning of their independence what did they want to see happen in their countries/ possibly it was not just one thing but several
African leaders wanted to accelerate economic development and to build the ethics of nation head in place of ethinism or secretarianism. Did they put into their schools curriculum such as would facilitate what they wanted to see take place within their counties.
In the book of essay titled African Economic Development edited by Emmanuel NNadonzie we read the post-colonial school curriculums countries to be patterned after that of Europe in both former British and French colonies never fully adapting itself to local African needs.
The book was published in the United States in the year 2003. How still valid this observation is can only be asserted by fresh research that the leaders of African began by idolising the educational systems of their former colonial master cans be seen in two great friends and presidents, Nkrumah of Ghana and Kamuzu Banda of Malawi.
Lee Kuan Yew first prime minister of Singapore in his autobiography from third world to first tells us that on his visit to Ghana the president of that country expressed great pride in one of his young men who has just returned from Oxford with a first class degree in the classics. That is Greek and Latin and Lee wondered just how such learning could contribute to the devlopment of Ghana.
In the early 1980s Dr Kamuzu Banda built Kamuzu Academy in his home district Kasungu modelled as he claimed on Britain’s most famous public school Eton. Several times, he said to be fully cultured one must study classics plus ancient history. How far this type of education has contributed to the solution of Malawi’s economic problems it is difficult to say. It is not difficult to say however, that Singapore has left both Malawi and Ghana behind economically what kind of education did Mr Lee Kuan Yew establish in his country? We must find out.
Education is bases of development because educated workers being more skilful than illiterate ones are also more productive.
Chapter 10 on education in the book Economic Development in Africa goes on to say “above all African leaders and educators need to rethink that curricular priorities and focus on finding training opportunies that reflect the economic and social needs of their people education for educations sake has its merit, but the pressing conditions in Africa make motivating forces along with self reliance and political maturity the latter designed to create a greater sense of nation hood in countries that are plagues with fragmentation.
One of the questions that has been raised in the books is whether African governments should continue to build more institutions of higher learning or deepen the existing ones for example both Ghana and Nigeria at the beginning of their independence had only one or two universities new Nigeria beasts of about 50. During the whole of the thirty years of Kamuzu and MCP era Malawi and only one university new these must be at least ten intuitions that are licensed as universities. Many of these are offering very similar curriculums.
It requires a good deal of thinking comparative studies and joint discussion if Malawi isn’t established a system of education that can truly contribute to economic and social development.
A number of private colleges and institutions have been established. Instead of allowing more which will just duplicate each other it will be a better to persuade some of these to specialise in certain faculties which are identified as very relevant to the needs of the country. Students who want to specialise in a certain field would then be sent to such universities. This would be more cost effective
What Malawi now needs is both quality and relevant education. How good is our BA, MA or Ph. D compared with that of other countries which are forging ahead of us?
