The African Educational Evolution: From Traditional Training to Formal Education

Autor/in	Mosweunyane, Dama
Titel	The African Educational Evolution: From Traditional Training to Formal Education
Quelle	In: Higher Education Studies, 3 (2013) 4, S.50-59 (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1925-4741
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Land Settlement; Learning; African Culture; Daily Living Skills; Religious Factors; Indigenous Knowledge; Nonformal Education; Teacher Role; Global Approach + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Siedlungsraum; Lernen; Africa; Culture; Afrika; Kultur; Alltagsfertigkeit; Non-formal education; Non formal education; Nichtformale Bildung; Lehrerrolle; Globales Denken
Abstract	This paper attempts to critically examine the approaches that were employed by Africans in their knowledge, skills and attitudes acquisition before, after and during colonialisation of the continent. The paper looks at three distinctive epochs from which the perfect understanding of how learning in Africa transformed could be concluded. It is notable that there was a period before Africa got colonised, which was followed by the period during colonisation, before the independence of the continent. The position that is strongly advanced through this paper is that even before colonialism the African societies offered training to their members, which was characterized by the provision of survival skills to individuals who were supposed to selflessly serve their societies. Members of African societies learnt through their interaction with their physical and spiritual milieus, as evidenced by their design of tools which they used mostly in their agro activities and in fighting for resources. The other area in which learning took place was that of spirituality or mysticism, as some superstitious members of African communities were believed to have powers of communicating with their ancestors. As noted by Westerlund (1991), the belief in the ancestors is widespread in many African agricultural areas and like divinities and nature spirits, the spirits of ancestors are thought to be intermediaries between God and humankind. The main problem that this paper is intended to advance is that Africa is regarded by some people as having not had any form of education before the arrival of the colonialists and their educational establishments or organisations. This paper therefore raises an argument against this position. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Canadian Center of Science and Education. 1120 Finch Avenue West Suite 701-309, Toronto, OH M3J 3H7, Canada. Tel: 416-642-2606; Fax: 416-642-2608; e-mail: hes@ccsenet.org; Web site: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/hes
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01