Global Education and Development in Africa - Research Paper Example

? “Global education and development in Africa” enter the Number Division 1st March TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Problem statement 4 Literature review 4 a. Political instability of Africa 5 b. Apartheid and the fate of Africa 7 c. Measurement of Development 8 d. Population of Africa 9 e. Africa and Education 10 f. Aids and Programs for Educational Progression in Africa 11 Objectives of Research 14 Research question 14 Research design, data collection 14 Analysis &interpretation 14 Conclusion 18 References 21 Introduction The topic of discussion of this essay is development of Oppressed nations and the nation that immediately comes to mind is Africa especially because of the long history of apartheid. Equality is the fundamental right of every human being and Africans have been oppressed for a very long time. Therefore it is only fair that the whole world works towards the development of the African nation. We will explore the main aspects that influence the process of a country’s development. The basis of development of a nation is Education. Without education there is no hope for a nation to progress and develop. Education makes it possible for the developing countries and the underdeveloped equally to fasten their growth. Therefore a major portion of the revenue of a country should be dedicated to education and men and women should be able to have equal access to education. This can provide the financial stability and the support needed for the individual to take part in the progress of the country at large. Africa is blessed with natural resources, minerals and precious metals like gold, platinum and diamonds. The diamonds mined in Africa are regarded the best and internationally renowned. It is only logical that countries that are rich in resources should rely on them to gain stability. The government of Africa can work towards gaining complete control over these natural resources and export them world over to increase the country’s revenue. The revenue the country generates can then be used to develop various other things of the country. Africa is also an agrarian country and the Africans are naturally hard working and used to harsh working conditions. This could be an edge that Africa can have over other nations and the nation should exploit this unique export opportunity and the natural traits of the African people. For a country to get developed it is necessary to have a stable political system. History tells us about Africa’s long history of oppression under the rule of English who came to the continent because of the diamond and gold mines. The English and the Dutch agrarian settlers imposed Apartheid and adopted the policy of segregation and rule over the natives of the land. The Africans were denied basic rights and had no part in the political system of their own country. Apartheid laws served to legalize this discrimination against the African blacks. The country itself saw economic prosperity as the white oppressors exploited the native Africans while suppressing and depriving them of many things. Therefore even at the end of Apartheid in 1990, the suppressed nation therefore was still a developing nation. Many international contributions are now being made towards the educational and economic development of Africa. Free education programs have been introduced all around the country and young Africans have now begun to realize the value of education. With the help of free education there is a hope for Africa to develop as well. Problem statement The researcher tries to find out the factors, which affect the education of Africa. The researcher focuses on the factors which make Africa have a low literacy rate and how education can get common at this part of the land. Literature review Education is the most important factor that contributes towards leading a society towards success. Education changes and affects not only the personality of the student but also changes their entire thought process, which eventually influences positively on the society. According to Troy (2010), education is important for the development of the nation as a whole. For the empowerment of nations and people, the most important thing is education. Good education helps in decision-making and ensures a high level of maturity. The power of education and knowledge can be valued by taking a deeper look at the modernization of man. Man used to live in caves and learnt to make fire. With the passage of time man learned different arts and crafts, invented signs and languages that lead to the civilized world that we currently live in, with many facilities and inventions. Every person in the world should have access to education so that he can live his life in a better way but unfortunately this is not so. Equal distribution of resources is something which is never seen in the world. We have seen this inequality in the times of monarchy and are also evident today in the modern world; some people live luxurious lives while others do not even have access to the most basic necessities. The researcher intends to focus on Africa and its development with regards to the development of education in that part of the world. Chokshi, Carter, Gupta, Martin and Allen (1995) state that Africa is a fertile nation. It has plenty of natural resources and is rich in minerals as well. Africa is world famous for its diamond and gold mines, and is also rich in platinum. It is blessed with a mild climate similar to that of San Francisco. Despite being rich in resources and abundant with some of the most precious minerals and metals in the world, Africa is still an underdeveloped country. There is much more to this mystery that can be imagined. Africa or to be particular South Africa was captured by the English and the Dutch. It was the diamond mines, which drew the attention of the English towards the continent in the 1990’s and the Boer War was fought to achieve this purpose. (Chokshi et. al, 1995). In the 1940’s, there was a struggle initiated by the national party of Africa to gain power over their people but the English overtook them. Apartheid was a political movement of isolation of the blacks so that the whites have supremacy over them. a. Political instability of Africa According to Harber, the country, which has an elected body, has democracy in it, which is basically “the rule of people” (1997). Democracy ensures freedom of speech and action. It gives more chances of growth of the economy. Political stability is very important for any nation to flourish. Democracy is the people working to put in the accomplishment of the states. According to Harber, people are generally driven to participate in the development of the nation with the intent of leading the economy o the country to success. But nations do not progress only by “participation” (1997) of people an example in this context can be the Nazi’s of Germany. Harber states that in democracy there is a need to have tolerance, to give others chance to put in efforts and accommodate the needs of all the people. The antonym of democracy is authoritarianism whose power is not in the hands of the people. Government is free and independent to do anything as they are not answerable to people. Africa has been struggling between these types of political systems. An example of it can be the apartheid regime in Africa, which was a legal policy of isolation of the blacks. According to Sawyerr (2009) countries in Africa are politically independent in the twenty first century but they still lag behind other developing and developed countries in their economic and educational development. The world moves at a fast pace with economic development playing a major role in generating revenues for the country. The major reason of Africa not growing in the educational field is that it does not have a stable government. Civil struggles, dictatorship and instable political setup of the government are the reason of the set back of economy of Africa. Examples of the countries in Africa which are under disturbed political set ups are Sierra Leone, Somalia, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Rwanda, Liberia, Congo and Lesotho. Uganda Ethiopia, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria and Namibia are exceptions as they have made some progress. Ghana, Guinea and Senegal can be an example of the countries which are trying hard to get economic stability and Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa can be included in the list of the countries which have been successful in achieving stability (Sawyer, 2009). b. Apartheid and the fate of Africa The apartheid laws affected Africa badly and made its progress come to a halt as people who were black did not get opportunities to get good education and jobs. The apartheid laws discriminated against them and they were given the least priority when it came to gainful employment. It is therefore quite evident that Africa’s history of Oppression and dark past stands in the way of it speedy development despite being a country and a continent full of invaluable resources. History has shown us that every change and development requires time. The people of Africa are however hopeful for their future with the knowledge that progress is underway and welcome the investments made in their country. Africa has seen a very suppressed past. The Europeans took over the country for their own greedy ends. The Africans should, have shunned this act, but it took them sometime to rise before them. The British rule over Africa proved that Africa has some potential in it. It has minerals and resources which are valuable in nature and it proves that the world needs their existence. Due to the unequal distribution of power and suppression there were two terms coined out for this nation, the first is the “sphere of influence” or “the sphere of interest” and the second is the “hinterland”. (White, 2007) Sphere of interest means that people have divided the rule of the land. This can be easily explained with the example of two farmers who mutually decide between each other to divide the land and cultivate the land within their individual boundaries. However the equation of this theory is not as simple when the division of rule and power is between political parties and influential parties (White, 2007). Hinterland according to White means as much as one can acquire. This means that the areas, which are loosely connected to the Continent, are taken under rule or captured by people. This is another absurd thing to do. Because of hinterland and sphere of interest, the land of Africa is being divided and remapped over and over again. This is an alarming situation and should be taken under considered by the government authorities. The partition of Africa can be marked by the Berlin Conference held in the year 1884-85 (White, 2007). It was due to this conference that Africa got independence and the issue of hinterland and sphere of influence came under consideration. The conference resolved many issues surrounding the political situation of Africa. Niger and Congo were declared free and independent states. This can be regarded as the first step towards independence for Africa and there was hope for a lot of other good developments to come. In the current context many independent companies and countries are investing in Africa, giving it aid and helping them establish. This will work towards the betterment of Africa’s future. But it cannot be ignored that for nations to become successful it is necessary for the people living in it to strive hard for a better future. c. Measurement of Development Development is a process that takes time taking. No nation in the world has become developed over night. It requires struggle and time to get developed. Education plays a major role in this development. It is only with the help of education that one can think beyond hedges and overcome obstacles. Therefore, it is a basic human right and should be provided to everyone, man and woman equally. When one gets educated then he is able to make sure that investment is being made in his country. A layman does not understand the importance of using the resources of their land and hence cannot progress. Better job opportunities are also likely to be available for the people who are educated. Example of a country that educated its people and worked hard to get developed is China. They rely on their resources, use them and get educated. According to Harber (1997), there are different things which make development measurement possible. For instance the countries with good industrial development are considered to be developed and those who are into agricultural production are thought to be developing. The literacy rates have been added afterwards into the systems to measure development and this added to the quality of development. The African countries are considered to be developing countries. Harber (1997) discusses the annual report on human development by UNDP. Thirty-four out of fifty six countries with low-income groups were found in Africa. The population rate of African countries was also too high according to this report. The need of food and opportunities for employment was also less than the acceptable numbers. d. Population of Africa The population of Africa is increasing rapidly. Currently, 680,000,000 people reside in Africa. The peoples of this continent make up ten percent of the total population of the world. When the population growth of a country is high it requires more food, clothes, homes and other amenities. The chances of getting education is also considerably less as the government is already overloaded with providing basic necessities for its people. The countries in Africa, which are a little developed have a much-controlled birth rate, but in the ones, which are not developed, the population is increasing day by day. For making the countries of Africa get stable and develop economically there is a need to ensure that people are educated. Awareness campaigns should be held to make people realize where they stand in the current century. There should be awareness of birth control measures and people should be convinced that there is no sin in doing so. The African people should be united and their morale should be, built by their government so that they start doing something good for their nation and feel that this is the right time to make change. The country also has a higher percentage of diseases as well. There should be free medical camps to get over with these problems. Famine is also a huge problem of this land. There should be workshops held for awareness. Moreover, people should also educate each other to cultivate land and achieve progress in the handicraft industry as well. So that they can work to get money in their country to make their dreams turn into reality by having a developed country or at least working to have one. e. Africa and Education Education is regarded as the most important thing in life. It is important for humans to get educated so that they can use their energies in such a way that is beneficial for themselves and their nations at large. Unfortunately the literacy rate in Africa is low and people do not have enough amount of money to get educated there. Africans die of hunger and lack of jobs therefore they should be provided education so that they can work over birth control and awareness over different issues. Another reason for the lack of education in the researcher’s opinion is the apartheid. The apartheid laws did not allow the Blacks to get educated. This was a very unjust law and the lives of many Africans were compromised due to it. Generations died out by living their life sub standard and lack of education. If they were provided their rights at that time they might have also lived a good life like hundreds of others but it did not happen that way and Africa stands as underdeveloped in the twenty first century. According to Kennedy (2007), 46 million children in Africa have never even seen a school from inside in their entire lives. The reason of these children not being able to take education is the extreme poverty. Africa has a literacy rate of less than sixty percent. Child labor is very common in this part of the land and children do it for getting money. Even if they are sick, they work because they know they are unable to get even a small portion of food for themselves. Some of the African children got a chance of education from the Undugu Society of Kenya. They were able to go in the school because there was no requirement of uniform and shoes there (Kennedy, 2007). f. Aids and Programs for Educational Progression in Africa Education is the most important thing but it also requires monetary support. There is a requirement of having school, well qualified teachers and book. Even if free education is planned in Africa then there should be enough resources at expense to provide education to the people. Moreover, Sawyerr (2009) states that education in Africa requires more monetary aid or revenue generated by the government. The reason for this is that the country is going through growing population crisis and also by lack of education. Ample amount of schools in Africa are now putting in efforts towards education. There are some countries in Africa who are working hard and fixing a large percentage of revenue to education, Ghana is an example in this respect. Ghana’s budget for education is 35 to 40 percent of their total budget. Sawyerr (2009) suggests that there should me more financial aid accumulated and collected so that education can get developed in Africa. Sawyerr (2009) stated that there are agencies that raise funds for the education system of Africa. They are performing their duties in a commendable way. Sawyerr (2009) stated that the example of Ghana Educational Development is an example in this context. According to him the country should show its highest level of interest in it and should formulate policies that involve agencies in fund raising and development in Africa. With the help of such an act development is assured. Many countries have also developed with fund raising campaigns. There is an “association for the development of education” (Sawyerr, 2009) in Africa. According to Sawyerr, it is the most beneficial thing for the educational system of Africa. It worked as a counselor between the fund raising agencies and the African ministries. It made sure that funds were raised and work was done for the benefit of educational system in Africa. Steering Committee Meeting, Working groups Meeting and Caucus of African Ministries of Education are huge examples in this circumstance (Sawyerr, 2009). The meetings are held in a very friendly manner and hence are useful for the generating fund for education in Africa. Minogue and Molloy (1974), state that education provided in different institutes and different countries are different as their set up and values etc are different. Therefore, the education in Africa is designed according to the requirements of that part of the land. Sawyer (2009) listed ten working groups in this regard, I. Working Group on Female Participation II. Working Group on the Teaching Profession III. Working Group on Higher Education IV. Working Group on Finance and Education V. Working Group on Education Statistics VI. Working Group on Books and Learning Materials VII. Working Group on Sector Analysis VIII. Working Group on Research and Policy Analysis IX. Working Group on Non- formal Education X. Working Group on Early Childhood Development These working groups research on their subjects and try to figure about the steps that can be done to make more people invest in the country for educational purposes. This is a healthy sign and might be responsible for bringing about a real change in Africa. Moreover, the Caucus of African Ministries of Education is the opportunity for the ministries related to education. The steering committee is the agency which is working for development of education in Africa as well. There is free education in Kenya (Kennedy, 2007). Minogue and Molloy (1974) stated that Tanzania is also improving the school systems. It is stated by the USAID in the Africa-Education (2011), that from the year 1999, enrollment in schools has increased by twenty seven percent. The most prominent achievement of USAID programs is that the enrollment of girls has been increased by thirty percent. 500,000 scholarships have been given to boys and girls of Africa for educational purposes since the year 2004. Moreover, the student’s health is also taken care of. Supply of clean water and electricity has been made sure by the help of USAID. Personal hygiene and cleanliness is also monitored so that diseases and illness can be avoided. 20 million books have been composed with the help of local people which are near to the culture of Africa so that Africans welcome educational systems and enroll their children in these programs. Other than these, USAID has also provided them with radio instruction programs, computers, electronic readers and MP3 players. Teachers are given special training so that they are able to make the children self reliant and competent. Objectives of Research To get to know what resources does Africa have To investigate the current situation of education and development in Africa To get to know what efforts are being made to make the educational system To learn about the fact that how different programs are run to make African educational system better Research question What is the current educational system in Africa? How the educational system can be developed? What efforts are being made in this regard? How different programs contribute in the development? Are African people really getting good out of the developments made in this regard? Research design, data collection The research is carried out by using books, journals, articles and other dependable internet sources to develop a good understanding towards development of education in Africa, its importance and how it can get better. Analysis &interpretation According to the information gathered with the help of different books, journals and articles, the researcher analyzes that Africa is rich in natural resources and minerals. It has a fertile land and also possesses metals like gold and platinum in abundance, it has the hugest mines of diamonds as well. Despite being so rich in natural resources still the people there are oppressed. The people of Africa are prone to difficult times. Even a little amount of push or start up for them can make them flourish provided that it is done without any external interests. The researcher analyzed that the nation had been under colonization for long and it takes time to develop if a country is facing such disastrous times and has been oppressed for long. Education is the most important factor to make nations stand up and make efforts for their survival. It makes decision making stronger and hence there should be inclusion of more education in one’s country. The amount of budget for the education systems should be increased by the government to ensure that the people of the nation are able to get more education. Programs like the Steering Committee Meeting, Working groups Meeting and Caucus of African Ministries of Education, are likely to bring about a change in the entire setup of the educational system in Africa. Minogue and Molloy (1974) stated that Tanzania adopted a system of education, which was not successful. The main drawback of this system was that it was not designed to create individuals to help and contribute in the country’s development but instead the pupils were trained to lead a colonial state. The local teachers were taken into the education system which did not let different and trained staff comes in. Moreover, some religious groups were trying to influence the minds of people for their own benefit. Africa had faced racial differences and therefore it required people who motivated pupils for working as one nation and not as separate groups. The syllabus of schools had British and American histories in them but now efforts are being made to have the history of Africa in the syllabus (Minogue and Molloy, 1974). Their poems, their folk tales, their songs are being added into the syllabus which is a positive sign towards education. Dei (2004) states that human beings are emotional beings therefore they have emotional intelligence. When the Africans were under the rule of the English they were suppressed. Such kind of suppression of a nation under the rule of another and discrimination on the basis of color creates a sense of insecurity in the people. In these type of societies or affected nations, some people become such that they are ready to be taken over while others are such that who become strugglers for getting independence. Such people bring about a change in the fate of the country. It was due to such people that Africa became free of that rule. But it still is a poor country with lots of resources and less education and revenue. Therefore, it has to work for its development. Decolonization also takes a much time as colonization does. According to Dei (2004), even after the decolonization there were signs of struggle of a long suppressed nation, which tended to follow and look up towards the English. Minogue and Molloy (1974), states that teaching provided in different institutes and different countries are dissimilar as their set up and ethics are different. The syllabus of Africa was full of subjects which were not related to their culture but the African people continued studying it without realizing the discrepancy. The reason was that their minds had a deeper influence of the British rule. This takes time to get over with but now the syllabus is revised and most of the things near to the culture of Africa are being included in them. Moreover, the awareness campaigns can help add in a lot to the African progress and development. There are people in Africa who are still into the old customs and traditions and do not have idea that where the world has progressed. They need a start up to be able to think and visualize their bright future. There are many free educational institutes in Africa now. Sawyer (2009) listed ten working groups in this regard, some of which are the Working Group on Female Participation, Working Group on the Teaching Profession, Working Group on Higher Education, Working Group on Finance and Education, Working Group on Education Statistics and Working Group on Books and Learning Materials etc. the duty of these groups is to do research and propose new systems of education and foresee opportunities for progress and development. More development programs include Caucus of African Ministries and The Steering Committee. Moreover, free education in Kenya also exists now (Kennedy, 2007). Minogue and Molloy (1974) affirmed that Tanzania assures good and high quality school systems. The researcher also found out that the USAID is putting in extra efforts in the African educational systems and development. Increased ratio of enrollments, providing teachers and training to them, giving students better chances to education and promotion of women education is also a positive thing done by the USAID. If the students of Africa keep on learning and educating themselves and the countries keep on contributing to this part of the land then one day it will also have good educational systems and will be developed. Conclusion Education is the right of every human being. Education makes one capable of living a good life. It opens doors to better employment and quality of life. Education makes one think and work for the country and helps in making the nation get to know about the importance of jobs, technology and industrialization. It is basic human right and should be provided to both men and women. The education in Africa should be free of cost so that the poor can acquire knowledge and contribute towards the development of the country. Africa is rich in resources and minerals. Due to increased population there is a lack of food. Investment should be made in Africa to make it developed. There should be jobs available for people so that they can also earn out of it. The British capture over Africa can be regarded as the worth of Africa. Africa has diamond mines and that is why they were captured. Therefore, it is not a country which does not have resources. The real truth is that they were suppressed and therefore, they were not able to develop. The apartheid laws make one understand the intensity of the English rule and the oppression of the Blacks. A stable political system is obligatory for getting a developed country and continent at large. The researcher went to Liberia which is a country in the West of Africa. The researcher observed that the schools were overcrowded. There was a fifth grade class with 125 pupils which is a large number of students with only two teachers. This was shocking as there was a need of more teachers or the class to be divided in sections so that each student could get attention. The schools in the cities have more students whereas outside cities there is less attendance and enrollments. Efforts should be made to ensure that pupils get enrolled in the schools and get their education. There should be efforts made to ensure that more teachers are ready to work in that part of the world, moreover, books should also be provided. There is so much to be done for the African children as they do not have the basic essentials to education such as tables, chairs, blackboards and books. There are funds being raised but they should be raised at higher levels and government should ensure that the money is spent adequately for educating the people. Hence, the researcher concludes that political stability should be made possible so that the future of African nation can be made better by educating their children. According to Harber (1997), there has been an authoritarian school system in Africa, which makes the students suppress individual opinions but, now democratic schools and the ones which appreciate participation are encouraged as well. Awareness should be given to people that when the population of a country starts increasing at a high rate then there is a need to provide basic necessities to people. There is revenue generated for food for the growing population and similarly education also requires monetary support to get established. The basic problem of Africa is that it has a huge population therefore birth control should be made common among the people. They should be educated in this context. Efforts should be made to make education available for people. This can be done by increasing the revenue generated by the government. Therefore, work should be done on maximizing the exports of the country. Basic education can be made compulsory and free for all African children and by doing so, an educated nation can be ensured. Sawyerr (2009) stresses on giving the education of girls equal attention as to that given to of boys. There should be technical educational institutes in Africa so that the children have chances to get education from within their country. Strategies should be put forth for achieving educational goals. The teachers hired for educating the nation should be well educated and experienced. Inexperienced and fresh teachers should be given proper training so that the money spent on them is not wasted. Other countries should be welcomed if they want to open up schools and universities in Africa. Different programs of USAID, free education by Tanzania, working groups for Africa, Caucus of African Ministries and The Steering Committee assure that the future of Africa will be full of positivity. People all over the world should donate to this part of the land so that elimination of hunger, eradication of oppression, good health facilities, better job opportunities and free education for both men and women can be ensured. Human beings are the superior beings of God, therefore they should not just look towards their individual needs but should work for making the lives of others better as well. Hence, the researcher concludes that Africa will develop with the passage of time as it has seen a very subjugated past therefore it should be given extra importance and care. Human beings should make sure that no one and no country again suppresses the other the way the Africans were taken over. References Sawyerr, H. (2009). Issues of Educational Development in Africa towards the 21st Century. Minister for Education. GHANA, CICE. 1-20. Harber, C. (1997). Education, democracy and political development in Africa, Great Britain, Sussex Academic Press.Vol.1. 2-6. Troy, M., (2010). Education, Its Importance in Life, Hub Pages. Retrieved on 29 February. 2012. http://troym.hubpages.com/hub/Education_importance. Chokshi, M., Carter, C., Gupta, D., Martin, T., Allen, R., (1995). The History of Apartheid in South Africa, CS Final Project, University of Stanford. Minogue. M,Molloy. J (1974).African Aims & Attitudes: Selected documents.CUP Archive.78- 97. Africa, (1998). The living Africa- the people, ThinkQuest.org. Retrieved on 1 March, 2012. http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_people/population.shtml. Kennedy, E., A., 2007. Africa's children struggle for education, Education, News, USA Today. Retrieved on 29 February 2012. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-07-21- africaschild_N.htm. Africa-Education, (2011). Sub Saharan Africa, USAID. Retrieved on March, 2012. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-07-21-africaschild_N.htm (accessed Dei, G., J., S., (2004). Schooling and education in Africa: the case of Ghana, Africa World Press. Vol. 1. 157- 259. White, A., S., (2007). The Development of Africa, Cosimo, Inc. Vol. 1, 281-285. Read More