[Forwards] Dr. Andrew Ananie Arkutu's Forward to "Journey Out Of The African Maze: Indigenous And Higher Education In Tandem"

JOURNEY OUT OF THE AFRICAN MAZE - INDIGENOUS AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN TANDEM is a remarkable book written by an educationist who has become a legend in his lifetime. The author, Francis Lodowic Bartels, affectionately known as FLB by thousands of his former pupils and colleagues, is approaching his 95th birthday.

The Son of a Minister of religion, Methodist Church, Ghana, FLB has spent the best part of a long life in education. An early beneficiary of Mfantsipim, the school with which his name has become synonymous in Ghana. After more than a quarter of a century as the most outstanding and influential headmaster of a secondary school in Ghana, FLB joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

 

From this vintage point he would observe and contribute to the development of higher education in the developing world at large and sub-Saharan Africa in particular for another 25 years.

 

Africa is generally regarded as being richly endowed with natural resources. Freedom from colonialism in the 1960s ushered in a period of euphoria and high expectations that, with Africans now in charge of their own destiny, the pace of socio-economic development will accelerate, bringing with it relief from the dehumanizing impact of extreme poverty and illiteracy. Hunger, disease and the extreme forms of deprivation and social insecurity would follow colonialism into history.

 

That has not happened. Indeed, after 50 years of independence, Africa remains the least developed of the regions of the world. Poverty and illiteracy are widespread and there is no end in fight to the misery inflicted on millions of Africans by corrupt and ineffectual leadership, 'organizational incompetence' and the curse of ethnic conflict.

 

In an effort to find answers to the riddle of pervasive poverty in the midst of plenty, many have pinned their hopes on education providing the key, which will unlock Africa's potential for development and relieve the suffering of many. But what kind of education are we talking about? What is the goal of education in the context of African reality? What form will it take? What will the end product look like? Who will set the agenda and the curriculum? What role should African Universities play in moving the education agenda in Africa? There are many more questions but fewer answers.

 

In this book, FLB attempts to address some of these pertinent questions and provides a personal perspective on many relevant issues. In doing so, he calls forth a deep knowledge and understanding of education, from traditional to the modern, a vast amount of personal experience gathered over 50 years of close and direct participation and involvement in education, not only in his native Ghana but across the world. His displays a profound knowledge and appreciation of the values and limitations of African indigenous and traditional education as well as the roles played by Africans themselves in the introduction of Western education into Africa.

 

The title of the book, JOURNEY OUT OF THE AFRICAN MAZE: INDIGENOUS AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN TANDEM summarises his main conclusions. These conclusions as well as the opinions and suggestions expressed are based on unimpeachable research, covering the entire sub-continent from the earliest beginnings of traditional education, through the introduction of western education during the colonial period to modern times. The research includes insights into the introduction and influence of Islam on indigenous and traditional education. On all this, the author brings to bear the considerable weight of scholarship and a disciplined mind. The book contains a huge amount of references, which should provide ample material for further research and analysis.

 

Its principal message, which can bear repetition and deserves reflection, is as follows:

 

African universities should use the time, energy and money being spent on the repetitive activities of the past - proposal-formulating commissions and plans-of-action-conferences - to empower

 

1. their postgraduate students
2. the Professors and lecturers who are guiding them in their research, and
3. retired Professors in their fields of study

 

to team up with their counterparts in the indigenous system in a bold double helix venture to create the necessary knowledge and promote the requisite action for guiding their countries out of the development maze in which they are.

 

For academic researchers, educationists, teachers and anyone simply interested in education, this book is 'a must read.'

 

A.A.Arkutu

President, Board of Directors, F L BARTELS EDUCATION FOUNDATION; Formerly Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Dar es Salaam; Director, UN Population Fund, UNFPA Country Support Team for  Southern Africa, and Medical Director, Pathfinder International.

Source: Dr. Andrew Ananie Arkutu