In my previous posting in this ‘Issues & Solutions’ series, I discussed good governance and democracy and their application in Africa. Among other conclusions, I suggested that it was much more a matter of individuals on power than the system underlying that power. In this second article, I would like to explore the education issue and how African states are handling.

After the home up-bringing, education is said to be the most effective socialising activity for each individual and the basis for lasting development. In my sense, good education simply means and leads to development and good governance.

Good learner-good leader

I strongly believe that a kid who regularly goes to school every morning, who has necessary school manuals, who has qualified and motivated (paid) teachers, who manages to eat before and after class, will have a different vision of the nation when s/he become adult. S/he will think less about his/her ‘digestive tube’, to use the words of an African thinker, because the digestive tube has never been a preoccupation. Such kids will never experience corruption because their paid teachers will not accept it.

They will not think of repetitive back-wage related strikes by unhappy teachers, which will inculcate the work-and-only-work spirit.

The reverse is, unfortunately, the reality in most African nations. Rare are those who have breakfast in the morning, or supper in the evening. Thus, when sitting in class, they intestines will be aching and the lessons will enter by one ear and escape by the other. The kids will be thinking about [not] eating and this will last until they graduate and become leaders. Since they grew up in a system, they will perpetuate it since they know no better one.

The above also goes for higher education. If late or no scholarship has become the rule, the victims will most likely find it normal to pay late or no salaries at all when they are in charge of public affairs. In short, the preachers of good governance should start with primary education and put both children, parents and teachers in a position to participate in the learning-teaching process in optimal conditions. It is not enough to make primary schooling free and compulsory. The number-one thing is to make sure that all conditions are put together to have a conducive atmosphere in the educational sector.

Education is development

At this stage Africa is moving from the illiteracy-fighting campaign to advanced learning like computer literacy, scientific research, engineering, etc. To meet this, not only the above-mentioned conditions need to be met, but also that advanced learning has to be made accessible for a larger number of Africans. This will enhance the level of thinking and encourage local initiatives.

Let me take one example. In most African villages, there is no electrical power, no communication technology, no roads, etc, simply because no body needs them. If just one effort – called building a school for various disciplines- was made, the rest would come by itself. A student of computer, not to talk of 100 in one village, will need to have a computer and thus power. If they are 100, they can start a project, contribute money, apply for loan or microcredits and start something profitable for the area.

The effort made for the school would include a road to it, water and sanitation infrastructure and, let’s say a generator. These would serve as a basis for the integral development of the area. Farmers will use the road to take their crops to cities’ markets, prices will go down as transport costs will decrease, and the trained agronomists (from the local school) will start transforming crop-farming into cash-crop agriculture, graduates in commerce will transform ‘survival business’ into profitable one, nurses trained in that very school will introduce modern medicine, etc.

Thus with the construction of a school, the government and development workers will have killed hundreds of birds with just one stone -EDUCATION