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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
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Africa: Education Responsibilities
Africa: Education Responsibilities
Date distributed (ymd): 000529
Document reposted by APIC
This posting contains a panel presentation by Lalla Ben Barka,
Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa
(ECA) from the session on Education and Culture in the APIC/ECA
Electronic Roundtable (http://www.africapolicy.org/rtable), which
is now in its closing phase.
It also contains brief excerpts from an exchange on the Global
Knowledge Discussion group (http://www.globalknowledge.org),
illustrating some of the issues of use of local resources in
introducing new technologies.
International Policies, African Realities
Panelist Presentation by Lalla Ben Barka, Deputy Executive
Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
May 25, 2000
I would like to apologize for my delay in entering into a dialog
with you. But this also has an advantage, because the fact that I
participated to the World Education Forum in Dakar offers me the
opportunity to share with you very serious concerns regarding the
development of education in Africa.
In the final Dakar draft, the last paragraph says: "the Education
For All 2000 Assessment highlights that the challenge of education
for all is greatest in Sub-Saharan Africa, in South Asia and in the
least developed counties. Accordingly, while no country in need
should be denied international assistance, priority should be given
to those two regions of the world. Countries in conflict or
undergoing reconstruction should also be given special attention in
building up their education systems to meet the needs of all
learners."
As we can see, Africa is a top priority because it is actually
there that school enrolment rates are lowest, education systems are
the least effective, and there is also unfortunately the greatest
number of conflicts and displaced persons, which mostly affect
school-age children. As a matter of fact, an assessment of the last
decade shows that Africa, compared to other regions in the world,
has the following results: net enrolment rates for primary
education per region, 1990 and 1998: World: 80% and 84% Most
developed regions: 97% and 98% Least developed regions: 78% and
82% Sub-Saharan Africa: 54% and 60% (Source: EFA statistical
document, 2000)
I certainly do not wish to elaborate on the problems of the
education systems of the continent which are sufficiently known,
but when we realize that 10 years after the Jomtien Commitments,
numbers continue to be weak and qualitative results even weaker,
one must set the alarm and perhaps formulate the problem
differently. So many topics have been examined and reexamined
through general assemblies, regional and national consultations,
during discussions with development partners: decision-makers'
commitment, adequate resource allocation, teacher training,
availability of materials and equipment, community participation,
and eventually a wider use of information technologies. These
issues have been endlessly debated and yet, disparities between SSA
and other regions, within countries, between urban and rural
regions, between boys and girls continue to be important.
In that case, what is or what are the issues? They are numerous and
multifaceted, but I will limit myself to the two which, according
to me, must be discussed and addressed first and foremost:
- Real and conscious commitment on behalf of decision-makers?
- Coherence between education systems and social and cultural
systems?
1. Real and conscious commitment on behalf of decision-makers
Many African countries nowadays seem to have established systems
that meet democratic criteria: a multi-party system, elections
which are organized with a certain degree of transparency (at least
with external observers), a private press (which is sometimes
suppressed), etc. But in building a democratic system, it often
seems that form takes precedence over substance. For instance,
legislative elections take place, a national assembly is put into
place, parliamentary groups and technical committees are
constituted, bills are debated and adopted, but a closer look
reveals that most people lack in capacities and basic skills needed
to take informed decisions about these topics and laws. Nobody is
contesting the need for governance or majority participation in
decision-making, but it is important to ensure the means for a
qualitative participation, not only participation by the greatest
possible number.
There is a very urgent and important need to build and establish
the necessary skills in order to be able to judge for instance the
merits of a financial bill, or a bill on education. It is extremely
important that decision-makers at this level be well informed and
well versed in those questions which they must decide on.
Governance does not limit itself to participatory elections, but
also involves an enlightened contribution to decision-making.
Governance might start with the elections, but it asserts itself
through political, economic, cultural and educational governance.
Another example concerns decentralization where we are confronted
to two types of problems: There is the question of the State
itself, which is often so disorganized in our countries, so weak,
so lacking in capacities, that one wonders what we are really
trying to decentralize. The other problem is: if we decentralize
(assuming that we have a State which is able to do so), towards
whom are we going to decentralize ? Very often structures are
created, local representatives are in place, but the new skills
needed to make decentralization effective do not exist.
In both cases, what is mostly lacking is not a commitment on behalf
of leaders who, in some instances, show their will for free and
transparent elections and for decentralization. The problem is
rather a lack of understanding and an overall approach, which would
allow addressing both the form and the substance. And very often,
questions of substance, training, putting competencies into place,
which are more complex and geared towards the long run, are quickly
set aside for a more shallow aspect whose durability and
sustainability are very fragile. It is now becoming imperative to
ensure adequate training for decision-makers, both in the upper
level and at the bottom of the pyramid.
2. Coherence between the education systems and the social and
cultural systems.
The imported school, which separates the child from the Community,
has often been criticized. Many countries are trying to link the
school to the children's culture. Speeches and programs made the
effort to reflect this necessity, but very often, the measures
taken in order to achieve that goal were not sufficient.
First, it is important to understand how deeply cultural
backgrounds, learning tools, etc. are rooted in society. It is in
fact indispensable to recognize existing strengths and qualities
within communities and cultures. This recognition and understanding
imply the taking into account of a first point of entry which is
the vehicle for transmitting knowledge, the children's native or
first language. This vehicle not only allows the child to
assimilate new knowledge without the trauma of a foreign language,
but also maintains the equilibrium between him or her and the
community. How many countries do really and systematically apply a
national language policy in the formal system today, in spite of
all the fancy speeches? And let no one use the capacity of the
African languages as a pretext, because this is not the real issue.
Another aspect concerns community participation in planning and
implementing programs and curricula. It is essential to integrate
teachers in the environment, (starting with their training) because
they constitute a true resource for community development. In
short, school management by the community is an acute question. It
does not limit itself to participation in constructing buildings or
payment of teachers' salaries. Only in this manner can a school be
progressively built which addresses not only the needs of the base,
but also the whole society, while remaining oriented towards a more
global world.
I could have examined macroeconomic topics, the poverty issue (in
spite of the fact that Africa is a very rich continent), adjustment
policies, conflicts, AIDS, etc. I do not deny the existence of
scourges and negative or destabilizing factors, but I believe it is
high time African countries are more serious about what they really
want and achieve it responsibly. Africa owes it to herself to
invest in her people. There are no miracles anywhere, human
resources are the only true wealth, the one that resists, endures,
and allows other problems to be solved. What our continent needs
most presently are resolute women and men, who are trained at all
levels.
Thank you.
[GKD] ICT and Education in Mozambique
Excerpts from on-line discussion, archive available at
http://www.globalknowledge.org
From: Bruce (brucer@tig.com.au)
Date: Tue May 23 2000 - 02:02:45 ADT
Dear Members of GKD
This newsletter is an update on Learning for All's pilot project to
greatly increase the quality of education in Mozambique. More
details on the project can be found at http://www.learningforall.org ...
Phase 1 of Learning for All's Pilot Project in Mozambique is
scheduled to commence 3 July 2000. Ten multimedia computers will be
installed at the Chibututuine Teacher Training College 80 kms north
of the capital Maputo. Teaching staff at the college will also
trained in the use of computers as a teaching aid.
The pilot project has been designed jointly with the Mozambican
Ministry of Education. The project will train teachers in the use
of multimedia as a teaching aid (phase 1), then place one
solar-powered stand-alone multimedia computer in each of 10 primary
schools on a trial basis. Educational multimedia CD-ROMs
appropriate to the Mozambican culture will be developed for use in
the schools. After a two year period the impact of the project will
be evaluated, and pending a positive evaluation the project scaled
up to cover the whole of Mozambique over a 10 year period. ...
Mozambique has not yet developed any kind of multimedia industry
and there is no local capacity to train the staff at Chibututuine
in the use of multimedia as a teaching aid. A Brazilian multi-media
developer/instructor is keen to be part of phase 2 of the project
- development of educational CD-ROMS in Mozambique. He has kindly
agreed to volunteer his time to train the teaching staff at
Chibututuine for two weeks from July 3.
Bruce Rowse
Public Officer
Learning for All
Email: bruce@learningforall.org
Web: http://www.learningforall.org
From: wenke@mail.tropical.co.mz
To: gkd@phoenix.edc.org
Date sent: Thu, 25 May 2000 12:59:25 +0200
Subject: Re: [GKD] ICT and Education in Mozambique
Send reply to: gkd@phoenix.edc.org
On 23 May, Bruce Rowse wrote:
> Mozambique has not yet developed any kind of multimedia industry
> and there is no local capacity to train the staff at Chibututuine
> in the use of multimedia as a teaching aid.
It is not true that there is no local capacity in this area. Our
company, Pandora Box Lda. produces Mozambican information on CD-ROM
since 1997, including multimedia products. We have also done
training in this area, in 1999 for third year students of the
Comunication Sciences graduate course at ISPU, one of the newly
established private universities in Maputo.
The problem we have faced, though, is that this area is so new and
still so foreign, that few people consider it possible to do
anything of this kind in this country. Many don't believe us when
we show our products and tell them that they were made by our own
hands and heads. Others simply don't understand what the fuzz is
all about, they have never used a multimedia product in their
lives, because they feel alienated by existing titles in English,
showing the American culture, or in Portuguese language but
reflecting Portuguese or Brazilian realities, nothing to do with
Mozambique.
As an example, one of us, Ms. Fernanda Cabanas, developed a
prototype for a multimedia training package for Mozambican library
staff as her master assignment at Sheffield, UK in 1995. When she
came back, she showed this to a group of colleagues. It was amazing
to see their reactions: the application was in their own language
and talked about their own problems; the pictures showed familiar
scenes; the background music was local. It was a major AHA!
experience for all those who were present that day, to realize for
the first time that the computer could become an information tool,
a learning aid, and not be only a 'smart' American typewriter.
For Fernanda and me it was the go! signal to start our company,
with the mission to produce Mozambique-relevant digital products.
The problem we now face, though, is that the market is still
extremely small for this kind of products, and the development time
for each title is so long that it is almost impossible, for the
time being, to produce on a commercial basis only. Someone will
have to sponsor the development of the first versions. Updates can
sometimes be selfsustainable after that.
I am very pleased to know that Learningforall is working on this
exciting project with the Ministry of Education in Mozambique. Of
course, we would not have had the capacity to participate in your
July courses, because at that time we will be busy running our own
courses on CDS/ISIS database software, in Maputo. But we would be
more than happy to collaborate in some way or another further on.
Please keep in touch.
You can see our website at
www.tropical.co.mz/~panbox
Best regards,
Wenke Adam
Pandora Box Lda
Maputo, Mozambique
Tel. 258-1-421432 (work)
Tel. 258-1-424303 (home)
P.O.Box 928
wenke@tropical.co.mz
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC provides
accessible information and analysis in order to promote U.S.
and international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and human and cultural rights.
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