(d) Mathematics and the Sciences
VIII. Some Closing Thoughts
Our primary purpose In this paper has been to present a critical overview andanalysrs of the structural changes and reform measures necessary for alternative curncula In a searching Afnca What we have highlighted above In terms of problems and perspectives fall Within this framework
Coombs (1985) aptly sums up the plight of the educational system In Afnca when he said 'he adaptronIn developing countnes of western educational models, Including structures, curriculum patterns, textbooks, and teaching methods, extensive use of foreign education and advisers, the use of a European language asthe medium of instruction, and perhaps most Important of all, the training of teachers and research scholars In advanced countnes who become major culture earners on return home - all of these factors have combined to make education a major cultural change In developing countries As such, education has had a far reaching and often destructive effect and Impact on traditional values, attitudes and patterns of behaviour" (p 246)
To correct these negative effects, we suggest a curnculum that emphasises the development of self-confidence In the Afncan youth and a sense of pnde Inhrsheritage, reality and environment Thrs,we think, can be achieved through schoolsthat areIn constant Interaction With the local sooety and culture, develop and foster the use of the Indigenous languages, and privilege a pedagogy Informed by the needs and aspirations of the learner
The school curriculum has generally been left In the hands of the education ministry and school personnel, and the rest of the community,Inalmost every Instance, has stood by asspectators What we need therefore, ISto have parents and other prominent groups In
society actively participating In curnculum development and Implementation ThrsIS all the more Important, given the cruoal role playedbythe family, the church and other non-formal
msntutrons
ofsooahsation
Apart from working With children at home, parents may also be called upon to contribute In more formal settings under the supervrsion of a teacher, In, for example, buildmq up expenments, operating audro-visual equipment, teaching tradition and culture, and serving as library aidslearning would be more enJ9yabie when Imitation, observation and practical activities are Inherent In the teachmq-learrunq process African are generally recognised and accepted If they are active members of their cornrnurutres Thus, a king of mdivrduahsm encouraged by western curricula and models IS not tolerated by cornrnunrtres In Africa, where members of the society are Interdependent through extended family links
In conclusion, all teaching methods should Include observation, Imitation, mquiry, problem solving, questioning and discovery, as found In the traditional folktales and literature, and In hfe Itself Also, the content should be merged with practical activities drawn from the culture and environment Given the uniqueness of each country, we suggest that curriculum development effort be based on the philosophy, education, economy, needs and hnquistrcspeofrcnes of indiVidual countries
All foreign CUrriculum theones adapted for African use must be substituted with genuine research that IS based on the re-mteracnon of knowledge on psycholoqical socroloqrcal and philosophical principles of the Afncan people Trus, In my opinion, would form the bedrock of development related curriculum InAfrica
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