Imperialism, Social Control and the Colonial Curriculum in Africa

Ball, Stephen J.

doi:10.1080/0022027830150302

Cited by 77 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…Ball (1983), Schilling (1972), and Coombe (1967Coombe ( , 1967Coombe ( , 1968 have noted that colonialism seemed to encourage the policy of exclusion of the local population from gaining access to education. Overall it seems the colonial administrators were afraid that mass education would encourage the people to agitate against colonial rule (Omolewa 2008).…”

Section: A Glance Back Into Historymentioning

confidence: 95%

Adult Literacy in Africa: The Push and Pull Factors

Omolewa

2008

Int Rev Educ

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This paper examines the question of why Africa has made such slow progress towards the goal of eradicating illiteracy, and why it remains an exceptionally disadvantaged region in this respect. The article surveys the history of the development of literacy in Africa from colonial times to the present day, focusing on the role of adult education in pursuing the goal of universal literacy. The author seeks to identify both the ''push'' factors (those favouring the pursuit of this goal) and the ''pull'' factors (the obstacles and hindrances), examining these factors at the local, national and international levels. The author concludes that, while the literacy challenge in Africa remains a formidable one, there are examples of successful initiatives that give hope for the future.Re´sume´-ALPHABÉ TISATION DES ADULTES EN AFRIQUE: LES FACTEURS D'AVANCÉ E ET DE RECUL -Cet article conside`re la question de savoir pourquoi l'Afrique n'a accompli qu'une progression tre`s lente vers le but de la suppression de l'analphabe´tisme, et pourquoi elle demeure une re´gion particulie`rement de´favorise´e a`cet e´gard. L'article e´tudie l'histoire du de´veloppement de l'alphabe´tisation en Afrique de la pe´riode coloniale jusqu'a`nos jours, se concentrant sur le roˆle de l'e´ducation des adultes poursuivant le but de l'alphabe´tisation universelle. L'auteur cherche a`identifier aussi bien les facteurs d'«avance´e» (ceux favorisant la poursuite de ce but) et les facteurs de «recul» (les obstacles et les entraves), examinant ces facteurs aux niveaux locaux, nationaux et internationaux. L'auteur conclut que, alors que le de´fi de l'alphabe´tisation en Afrique reste redoutable, il y a des exemples d'initiatives re´ussies qui donnent de l'espoir en l'avenir.Zusammenfassung -ZUR ALPHABETISIERUNG VON ERWACHSENEN IN AFRIKA: VORANTREIBENDE UND ZURÜ CKHALTENDE KRÄ FTE -Dieser Beitrag bescha¨ftigt sich mit der Frage, warum in Afrika die Fortschritte bei der Verfolgung des Ziels der Abschaffung des Analphabetentums nur so zo¨gerlich verlaufen und warum Afrika in dieser Hinsicht immer noch zu den am sta¨rksten benachteiligten Regionen za¨hlt. Der Artikel gibt einen geschichtlichen Ü berblick u¨ber die Entwicklung der Alphabetisierung in Afrika von der Kolonialzeiten bis heute, unter besonderer Beru¨cksichtigung der Rolle der Erwachsenenbildung bei der Verfolgung des Ziels universeller Alphabetisierung. Der Autor bemu¨ht sich um die Kenntlichmachung sowohl der treibenden, diesem Ziel fo¨rderlichen Kra¨fte als auch der zuru¨ckhaltenden und behindernden Kra¨fte und u¨berpru¨ft diese Faktoren auf lokaler, nationaler und internationaler Ebene. Der Autor kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass die Alphabetisierung in Afrika nach wie vor vor enormen Herausforderungen steht, dass es aber auch Beispiele fu¨r erfolgreiche Initiativen gibt, die fu¨r die Zukunft Gutes hoffen lassen.Resumen -LA CAPACIDAD DE LECTOESCRITURA EN LOS ADULTOS DE Á FRICA: LOS FACTORES DE EMPUJE Y DE RETRACCIÓ N -Este trabajo analiza el interrogante de por que´Á frica ha avanzado tan poco hacia l...

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Section: A Glance Back Into Historymentioning

confidence: 95%

Adult Literacy in Africa: The Push and Pull Factors

Omolewa

2008

Int Rev Educ

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“…Once the missionaries translated the Bible into local languages, they proceeded to make limited room for vernacular in the school curriculum. The Basel Missionaries often established boarding schools, where children lived for several years as students (Ball 1983). However, students were not encouraged to learn all subjects in their mother tongue, as the missionaries were not very fluent in local languages and did not encourage their largescale use.…”

Section: Contents Of the British Colonial Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

The British and curriculum development in West Africa: A historical discourse

Ofori-Attah

2006

Int Rev Educ

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THE BRITISH AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN WEST AFRICA: A HISTORICAL STUDY -Only recently have African nations begun to make their way towards establishing genuinely autonomous education systems incorporating elements of indigenous culture. The present study examines the historical development of curriculum in British West Africa in its links with the educational activities of the early Christian missionaries and the imposition of British colonial rule. For over 300 years, the curriculum content was essentially European in nature. African interests and cultural practices were largely excluded, as ''bookwork'' was favored over ''handwork''. The colonial curriculum also helped introduce a new social order to West Africa, leading to the rise of new local elites reading, writing, and speaking foreign European languages. This study explores how the idea of a ''civilized'' person, promoted through the colonial school curriculum, developed new local elites with different sets of values and expectations that often made them strangers in their own societies. It also describes the connection between this curriculum and the repeated failure of education-reform efforts.Zusammenfassung -DIE BRITEN UND DIE ENTWICKLUNG VON LEHRPLÄ -NEN IN WESTAFRIKA: EINE HISTORISCHE UNTERSUCHUNG -Erst in ju¨ng-ster Zeit haben die afrikanischen Nationen begonnen, eigene Wege bei der Etablierung wirklich autonomer Bildungssysteme einzuschlagen, die auch Elemente der Afrikanischen Kulturen einbeziehen. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die historische Entwicklung von Lehrpla¨nen im britischen Westafrika unter Beru¨cksichtigung der Aktivita¨ten der fru¨hen christlichen Missionare im Bildungssektor sowie der britischen Kolonialherrschaft. Ü ber 300 Jahre lang war der Inhalt der Lehrpla¨ne im Wesentlichen europa¨ischer Natur. Afrikanische Interessen und kulturelle Praktiken waren weitgehend ausgeschlossen, da die Arbeit an Bu¨chern ho¨her als die Arbeit mit den Ha¨nden gescha¨tzt wurde. Die kolonialen Lehrpla¨ne halfen dabei, eine neue soziale Ordnung in Westafrika einzufu¨hren, die zum Aufstieg einer neuen lokalen Elite fu¨hrte, die Lesen, Schreiben und europa¨ische Fremdsprachen beherrschte. Diese Untersuchung erforscht, wie die Idee eines ,,zivilisierten'' Menschen, die durch die kolonialen Schullehrpla¨ne verbreitet wurde, neue lokale Eliten mit einem Wertesystem und Erwartungshaltungen hervorbrachte, die sie ha¨ufig zu Fremden in der eigenen Gesellschaft werden ließ. Diese Studie beschreibt ausserdem die Verbindung zwischen den kolonialen Lehrpla¨nen und den Misserfolgen bei den Bemu¨h-ungen, das Bildungssystem zu reformieren.Re´sume´-LES ANGLAIS ET LE DÉ VELOPPEMENT DU PROGRAMME D'É TUDES EN AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE : UNE É TUDE HISTORIQUE -Ce n'est que tout re´cemment que les nations africaines ont commence´a`se frayer un chemin vers l'e´tablissement de syste`mes d'e´ducation ve´ritablement autonomes, incorporant des e´le´ments de culture indige`ne. La pre´sente e´tude examine le de´veloppement historique du programme d'e´tudes en Afrique occidenta...

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“…This attempt at education reform, originating in the United States and Britain, advocated a curriculum embedded in local knowledge and local languages (Wolf, 2001). The vigorous rejection of adapted education by African parents, who suspected it as an attempt to keep them from acquiring European knowledge and power (Ball, 1983), included rejection of both the local knowledge curriculum and the local language in which it was to be taught. This sense of the inappropriateness of African language as a medium of conveying knowledge in the formal classroom continues to be a widespread perception among African parents.…”

Section: Language Diversity As a Problematic Odditymentioning

confidence: 99%

Complementary and conflicting discourses of linguistic diversity: implications for language planning

Makoni¹,

Trudell²

2011

Per Ling.

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________________________________________________________________________ Although the promotion of linguistic diversity is one of the main goals of language policy and planning in Africa, few attempts have been made to analyse how linguistic diversity has been construed in Africa within the different types of language planning discourses, and the implications of such discourses on language policy and planning. In this article we identify three main types of discourses of linguistic diversity: (i) linguistic diversity and the autonomy of language, (ii) linguistic diversity as problematic oddity, and (iii) linguistic diversity, identity and rights.In the article we demonstrate that these various discourses of linguistic diversity are both complementary and conflicting. We conclude the article by exploring the complexity of the relationships between these discourses as they affect language policy and planning.

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Imperialism, Social Control and the Colonial Curriculum in Africa

Cited by 77 publications

References 9 publications

Adult Literacy in Africa: The Push and Pull Factors

Adult Literacy in Africa: The Push and Pull Factors

The British and curriculum development in West Africa: A historical discourse

Complementary and conflicting discourses of linguistic diversity: implications for language planning

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