Education in Africa must be radically and urgently reengineered!

Education consists not only in the sum of what a man or woman knows, or the skill with which he or she can put this to his or her own advantage.

A man or woman’s education must be measured in terms of the soundness of his or her judgment of people, situations and of things, and in his or her power to understand and appreciate the needs of his or her fellow men and women, and to be of service to them.

The truly educated man or woman should be so sensitive to the conditions around him or her that he or she makes it his or her prime endeavour to improve those conditions for the broader good of society.

This is however not the case in Africa, evident in the mess we have made of ourselves for six decades.

Bluntly speaking, Africa’s education must be radically and comprehensively re-engineered to produce critical, broader, and creative thinking, innovative, problem solving, challenge surmounting, technology-savvy, and globally competitive outcomes.

Education modules of the continent must be tailor designed to produce outcomes capable of solving today’s complex problems and create a new future. Our education should equip us to be relevant in the scheme of progressive global happenings.

There are a few questions every African must ponder over:

1. How relevant is our education as a continent to our peculiar journey to destiny?
2. Are we not educated into ignorance?
3. Does our education teach us who we are as a people, and how we came to be in the despised condition in which we find ourselves in the world?
4. Does our education teach us how to triumph against the forces arrayed against us? Does it teach us how to deal with the powers of the world?
5. Does our education teach us about ourselves and how to overcome our weaknesses?
6. Does our education teach us why there are no jobs in our countries for the teeming millions of our youth, or what we must do to create jobs for everybody?
7. Is it not the reason why our governments have no inkling about what to do to end the situation?
8. Does our education teach us why we stay poor despite our abundance of resources?
9. Does our education teach us how we can make Black Africa prosperous, great and powerful?
10. Does our education teach us economic patriotism? Is it not the reason why our leaders loot and plunder our countries and export the loot abroad, to “safehavens” in Europe, America and other places to enhance their economies?
11. Does our education enlighten us about our common humanity, common values, fellow feeling, inclusiveness, collectivity, collaborative inventiveness, and co-creation?

Education relevant to a successful global game, should comprehensively train the educated “How to think in an innovative, creative and futuristic manner”, “How to do…hands on delivery”, “To be an achiever”, “To be intellectually curious”, “How to live”, “To be logical”, “To be bold and confident yet humble enough to learn”, “To be pragmatic”, “To demonstrate critical thinking skills”, “To be creative”, “To be thorough”, “To be highly analytical”, “To be in dependent minded”, “To be innovative”, “To be strong minded yet compassionate at heart”, “To be a strategist”, “To be pragmatic and hands on focused”, “To operate with a sense of urgency”, “To be a progressive team player and Co-creation partner”, “To be assertive”, “To be an active receiver and implement or of relevant knowledge and new ideas”.

This is not what education has produced in Africa. Let us get to work NOW for a revolutionary turnaround, else Africa has NO FUTURE!

God Bless the rise of the New Africa.

By: Nanayaw Berima

Email:[email protected]