Education Has Not Proved the Panacea for Poverty and Progress in Africa - Case Study Example

Introduction The ability to have high quality educational systems in specific developing countries is one that is often not accessible to those that are in the society. In Africa, there are specific components that have caused education to be unavailable to most that are living in the country. The historical presence of colonialism and the movement into globalization are some of the factors that have altered this. Despite the changes in the country, there are problems with the opportunity that is available to assist with education and to change the outcomes of those that are in the region. The lack of education in Africa and developing countries is not only changing the outlook and influence of the various regions. More importantly, this is causing a lack of available and progressive jobs and is creating barriers for most in the country. The result is that most move into a state of poverty because of the lack of education. For this to alter, a different understanding of the influences for teaching and learning need to be provided to those in the educational system. Colonialism, Neo – Colonialism and Globalization The first concept that is applied to the lack of education and poverty comes from a historical perspective. The colonialism that was in the country began to change the outlook on education and altered the available resources and exchanges between countries. During this time, the concept of higher education changed from one that was based on the regional and cultural factors of the nation and began to incorporate different concepts from the British and ruling countries of Europe. Before 1900, the concept of higher education was one that was based on creating a specific work force and levels of knowledge among the students. However, after this time, there was a shift in how many were working with higher education. The British and colonial rule brought in new standards and expectations for the educational needs and led to specific issues. These not only related to the influences in education, but also linked to cultural, social and political shifts. The powers that were created during this time affected the standards and expectations as well as availability of education among those in Africa (Ajayi, 17, 1996). After 1945, decolonialization occurred in Africa, which also began to affect those that were in the region and looking for education. From 1945 – 1960, there were several struggles politically because of the European colonization that had occurred before. However, the difficulties that arose during this time led to a sense of an underdeveloped world. The standards and the concepts that were applied in education began to change with political conflicts among educators of what should be taught as well as what standards could be kept (Rodney, 57, 1972). The problem that has arisen because of this is based on a sense of dependency that was created during colonization. The educational system that exists after colonization is based on the political and educational outlooks created by Europe. Low income, the political economy and the newer industries that changed after this time frame began to limit the opportunities in Africa, leading to a lack of educational opportunity in each of the regions (Tikly, 151, 2001). The current problems that are beginning to arise in Africa are based on a changing outlook not only from the political and economic conflicts. The movement into globalization is also creating a different focus within each region. The new opportunities that many educators are looking into are to provide training and development that allows students to move into a global culture, as opposed to one that is based on the regions of Africa. However, the developing countries have limitations in the resources and available needs for globalization, which is creating more dilemmas in how education can be approached (King, Mcgrath, 217, 2002). The two main problems that are occurring because of this are based on the concept of globalization, which is not met by financial resources because Africa remains a developing country. It is also limited because of the brain drain in the regions. Those who have the ability to receive a higher education are also required to leave the country to find opportunities for career and work so they can continue with their area of expertise. This leaves Africa into one of limited resources for those that desire to receive a higher education (Ndulu, 72, 2004). Barriers of Opportunity for Education in Africa The several changes that have occurred since 1900 in Africa have led to specific problems that are related to the educational opportunities in the region. One of the barriers that have occurred is based on the eco – cultural paradigm shift that is currently a part of the culture. Science, math and other basic academic subjects remain limited because of the learning limitations. These are based first on the financial considerations that can’t be reached, followed by the cultural divisions and expectations that are a part of the current educational system (Olugbemiro, 97, 1995). Since there are limitations to these two aspects, there become barriers based on the structure and format of the educational systems. The internal structure of education is one that is conflicted by the European colonized areas as well as the lack of resources that have come from this time. The culture and the financial options have led to structural problems that have limited the resources in the African continent (Riddell, 17, 1997). The barriers that have been created are based on an elitist mentality that is in the higher education of Africa. Since most of the education is based on financial considerations first as well as cultural considerations that are limited by the resources available, education is not readily available. The barriers then lead to a sociological perspective of the availability of education in Africa. Most that are in each region don’t consider education as a higher priority since it is not widely accessible and because of the limitations that are associated with this. The ability to build a globalized set of regions then becomes limited because of the lack of availability for resources as well as the social perspective that has been created as a result (Naidoo, 249, 2003). Another aspect that has been created through the different educational system is the political conflicts that are in each region of Africa. There are several conflicts and viewpoints that have been placed into the main educational system. The politics are based on a closed system that holds specific expectations in terms of social trends and cultural values. For instance, there are different values in place for women as leaders, political policies and expectations that are needed because Africa stands as a developing country. These are then placed into the educational system and create barriers because of the political beliefs that move into the educational curriculum (Tripp, 141, 2001). The barriers that need to be removed within the country are based on overcoming the political system that affects the educational values as well as providing a relationship to this through the educational policies that are from the political expectations in society (Williams, 603, 2002). Education and Influences on Poverty The barriers that have been created are now creating a macroeconomic adjustment that is in Africa. The lack of influences in the educational system is creating difficulties with an emergence of policies. This is directly affecting the level of poverty and the macroeconomic capabilities that are in Africa (Demery, Squire, 127, 1996). The inability to access education is one that is directly impacting the macroeconomic development that is available. This relates to the micro development as well. When individuals in a specific region don’t have access to education they will remain at levels of poverty and as a part of the lower working class. This not only affects the micro environment, but also leads to a lack of available resources that are a part of the macro environment (Christiaensen et al, 317, 2003). It is known that the level of education that is available to those that are in Africa directly affects the ability to have possibilities for labor. As education increases, those in Africa have a smaller probability of being self – employed while earning more for wages. This affects the micro and macro economy because most that have a higher education are interested in earning more with higher jobs. However, each of these is furthered limited by the political policies and social expectations. For instance, it is known that there are fewer women in the work force because of the social expectations and cultural values as well as the political influences. This directly relates to the amount of money that is in each of the households and stimulates the economy in specific ways. If the social expectations aren’t met, then the poverty levels begin to increase within the household (Sahn et al, 43, 1997). For the educational system to begin changing, the concept of inequality as well as the levels of availability would need to change. Since the educational system is determined by political and social expectations, as well as financial availability, it creates specific limitations. Those that are in a level of poverty will have specific social expectations related to the next generation, specifically with requiring work to those of the next generation. The social and cultural expectations then lead to undervaluing education. More importantly, this leads to a limitation in the finances that are available for higher education. If the parents don’t have the capability of becoming a part of the higher amount of finances in the system, then it leads to generations following to have limitations based on the amount of monetary availability in the family. The cycles of poverty then continue because of the limited amount of education that is available (May, 17, 1998). Influences for Teaching, Learning and Assessment For the macro and micro environment to change and for the African educational system to begin altering is the need to change the influences first. The teaching, learning and assessments that are available are based on the National Curriculum Statement. For this to work completely, the political and the social agendas that are a part of the work force first have to be considered. The policies and the procedures that are currently available are based on the political influences from this statement, specifically which creates a certain type of educational influence over the teaching and learning that is available (Vandeyar, Killen, 119, 2003). The limitations that are related to this are based on the assessment levels that are currently required within the educational system. The self – assessment and the ability to have individual understanding and analysis is then limited by the political system and the policies that are in place for the educational system (Boud, Falchikov, 529, 1989). The basic policies and procedures that are implemented are further defined by the different surrounding agencies that are involved with education. The most influential part of this is the national government and the systems that have created the policies and procedures as well as the views that are among this. These are furthered by organizations and donor agencies that have influence over the education and the policies that are associated with this. The impact of these different agencies and policies creates a specific relationship to the practices in the school. They further change the assessments in the school and assess the standards that are a part of the educational program. The direct impact is then furthered by the performance relationship of students and teachers and how these fit into the overall evaluations that are a part of the educational program (Kellaghan, Greaney, 19, 2003). The different organizations and institutions are not only a part of the direct influence, but also relate to the surrounding culture of Africa. Since Africa is considered as a developing community, the culture that is a part of this creates a different understanding of requirements for academic achievement among students and teachers. The curriculum and standards act as guidelines for agencies and organizations. However, this is furthered by dimensions of culture that accept or reject the standards and assess the performance that is within the different educational programs. The academic achievement then becomes a partial response from the cultural expectations and the standards that have been set by society. These are reflected in the organizations and the instruction that creates the school and societal culture for education (Smith – Maddox, 302, 1998). To improve the performance and to change the effectiveness in schools is the need to create different standards among the organizations and government. This would directly alter the amount of poverty and the lack of education that is available. The influences that that have been created first need to be furthered by the expectations for practice in the classroom. As this is done, the culture will directly reflect the education that is available and will be able to enhance what is a part of the current curriculum (Balla, Boyle, 17, 1994). As the culture and the politics began to change with the influence on teaching, assessments and curriculum, the students will have the option of shaping a different set of educational standards. Since the culture and the politics of a region are responsible for the learning outcomes, it is essential to begin focusing on different standards among these two areas to create a change in the levels of poverty as well as what is a part of the curriculum (Malcolm, 200, 2002). Conclusion The concept of education in Africa is one that has altered because of specific influences in society. The educational system is one that is based first on the history of Africa and the external influences of colonial Europe and neo – colonialism as well as globalization. This has led to a lack of resources and availability as well as barriers in politics, cultural and social aspects. For the education to change in Africa is the need to look at the influences in the regions and to begin changing the available resources of the developing country. This will help to change the economy in the area and will start to alter the way in which the educational system influences the environment as well as the culture of the region. This will eventually lead to a reduction of poverty and alteration in the economic and educational system. References Ajayi, Ade. 1996. The African Experience with Higher Education. Ohio: Ohio University Press. Balla, John, Patrick Boyle. 1994. Assessment of Student Performance: A Framework for Improving Practice. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education (19), (1). 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