The K Experience

Sankofa - African Thought and Education - Elleni Tedla

Timeless - Literature

Thursday, 08 May 2008

"Africa needs a new type of education that is rooted in traditional African philosophy and indigenous education...The source is our culture, heritage and identity. It is the power that is within us. SANKOFA means that as we move forward into the future, we need to reach back into our past and take with us all that works and is positive." (Tedla, 1995)

The current situation in many of the Sub Saharan African countries in terms of education is bleak. There are still serious issues such as access to education, resource availability, gender equity, class size, and cost, to name but a few. This is all in light of the extent of foreign aid that enters the borders of Africa every year. Even though enrolment rates in all sections of education, primary, secondary and tertiary in many of the African countries are increasing, there has still been the continued failure to meet the millennium goal of Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education for all. There are some however, that are able to get through the levels of the education system but for the few who do, there is still the crisis of job availability that awaits them at the other side. This drives students to either abandon their education in search of work, or if they get the chance, to leave the country in search of greener pastures, and this is often in the countries of the West. With the book "Sankofa" Elleni Tedla states that it is not just the mode and operation of education in Africa which is at fault, but the whole philosophy behind the education system.

The aim of the Book stems from the Title itself, “Sankofa”, which is an Akan word (From Ghana) meaning “Return to the source and fetch” It is the name of an Adinkra Symbol which represents the notion of going back into the past to fetch a good that has been forgotten, and using it in the present. She has employed the use of this Adinkra symbol and it’s meaning to represent going back and fetching some aspects of pre-colonial indigenous African education, with the hope of improving modern African Education, which she explains to be in a state of disarray.

Modern African education, she states, is “assessed or analyzed in terms of (a) European/American education and, or (b) Africa’s national “development” policies and goals for modernization and economic growth. In either case, it is in terms of external criteria that its achievements and shortcomings (too often its shortcomings) are discussed.”(Tedla, 1995)

Tedla examines the education system focusing on 7 criteria, (1) its foundations, (2) its aims and core values, (3) the period of learning, (4) the curricula, (5) the methods of teaching and learning, (6) female education, and (7) responsibility for education. I would like to summarize some of Tedla’s findings while comparing them with the equivalent for indigenous African education, in an effort to highlight the shortcomings of the current education system.

The foundations of modern African education are rooted in the colonial times with concepts founded on western thinking such as liberalism, enlightenment, evolutionism, western concepts of development, all which are contrary to indigenous African ways of thinking. Not only were they contrary to African interests in philosophical respects, but they were designed to form a classist system which would favor and educate the few to rule over the masses.

“During the colonial era, it was in the interest of the European colonizers and missionaries to educate a few Africans who could serve them in pacifying and controlling the African population.” (Tedla, 1995, p. 168)

Using the French colonizers as an example she describes that their main aim was one of assimilationism, where they tried not only to introduce the French way of life to their African colonies, but to force it upon them through education.

“We must also educate the masses, to bring them closer to us and transform their way of living…From the political standpoint, we must make known to the people, our intention of bringing them into the French way of life…”(Brevie, Governor-Geeral of French West Africa quoted in Moumouni, 1968, pp. 42-43)

Even though the focus of education changed at independence there was little change in the education systems so the old systems were brought into the new era of Africa with all its negative intentions.

Let us contrast this with the Foundations of the Indigenous African ways of education, and we find that the focus was on concepts such as community, the person, work, creation, and Affirmation of life, which is a term Tedla uses to represent their religious spiritual beliefs merged with the indigenous way of life. Where the spiritual and the secular were not a separated from each other.

The aims and core values of modern African education were again those adopted from the western rulers. The aims of modernization and socializing in the western form led the way, and trickled down to the education system, valuing individualism of the West more than the communalism of indigenous Africa. Because of this, the important practices that had been mastered throughout the years were no longer valued, and were replaced with imported culture such as foreign music, food, habits and ways of living.

“In short, the values that Africa’s youth learn in the Western education system are out-of-touch with African realities and are, therefore, impractical and alienating.” (Tedla, 1995, pp. 182)

When comparing the Western and Indigenous African periods of learning there is again a huge difference. Currently in the West, primary and secondary education sum up to about 12 years. Although when this system was transferred from the west to the African continent, in Ghana for example, the education system was different from how it is now. After independence in 1957 the education system was as follows: six years of primary education; four years of middle schooling; a seven-year secondary education (five years of preparation toward the Ordinary Level Certificate and two years of Advanced Level training). However, due to the conditions at the time, the average age of the first-year university student in Ghana was often about twenty-five. Most students did not continue formal instruction after the first ten years of education due to cost, access and limited places. In 1965 the estimated average number of years of education attained by the working age population was only 0.5 years. Within the next 20 years, the number had only risen to 3.3 years. When contrasting this with the period of learning in pre-colonial Africa which had a period of learning which spanned the lifetime of the individual, one starts to see the hugely negative effect of the colonial period on education of the masses.

Female education was one of the areas that suffer the most under the current education system. During the colonial period, the women were responsible for defining their own standards and rules of things that constitute education, as well as womanness, beauty and quality of work. Attention would be placed on careful training and rearing of the young not only in homemaking, but also to become fully engaged in the economic community, taking part in farming, trading and fishing. In modern Africa however, the women have been marginalized and greatly underrepresented. In many African countries the percentage of men in education, both secondary and tertiary greatly out way the number of women.

After comparing other factors such as responsibility of education, accessibility, quality, employment opportunities and funding in education she concludes the book by suggesting a “Sankofan Education”. Here Tedla states some things that will help Africa regain its cultural heritage. Cooking traditional foods, supporting African businesses, buying African made goods, learning African languages, and wearing traditional clothing are just some of the things she says will help.

To conclude I can say that this book is essential for all those who have a deep interest in the future of African Education, and African development as a whole. It compares and contrasts both modern and indigenous systems of education, and Tedla leaves room for others to continue the work, and build on her study to adopt a more Afrocentric education system. Although the book is now over 10 years old, I feel that not enough has been done in the way of this development, and many of the ills of the current system are being perpetuated. It remains to be seen if someone will take up the baton and continue in the same vein as Tedla.

A large part of this entry was taken from the longer literature review "Looking back to go forward: How can the study of pre-colonial African education help to improve the educational experiences of students in Africa and the rest of the world? A Literature Review" (unpublished) by Kwabena Adjei-Owusu. This document can be downloaded for free from the Center for International and Development Education website (registration required).

For more information about the Adinkra Symbols see Adinkra Symbols of West Africa at WellTempered.net, or click on the symbols.

Other Book Reviews