Africa is facing a big challenge in term of education. We all know that many countries are doing their best to allow a large majority of their population to attend school. During these last years, 77% of kids are registered in primary but only 40% attend secondary. The drop-out rate remains very important. Out of that, the conditions and the quality of education need to be review completely in sense of building Education that brings Development. Unfortunately governments in Africa always take a commitment in terms of employment, job, technology and development; but they don’t realize that quality of education is the basic way to promote development. We need to bring a new vision of education, based on research of solutions for our everyday problems in Africa, using our natural assets. We need our engineers and technicians to create but how can we ask learners and students to create if we as teachers can’t create during teaching time in our classrooms? This is the reason why teacher training, not only in term of quality education but also in a new philosophy of education, focus on our everyday problems, is very important for development in Africa.
Education for Development
In the past, to teach means to transfer your knowledge to students. Nowadays, the role of teacher has completely changed. Today, a teacher is a coach and to teach means to guide learner in his research to achieve a goal. Nowadays, learning is based on doing funny. Teacher must bring knowledge to evidence. That’s the reason why the first thing we need in Africa is Teacher Training. We need to bring education out of simple understanding of existing systems to innovation and creating a particular solution for easy life of our people. Technology, Mathematics and Sciences have to be taught in every classrooms in Africa to help learners to develop their skills and maximize their chance in self-government. Major topics for teacher training:
- · How to introduce lessons to make them attractive and practice for students
- · ICTs in everyday lessons for quality and attractive education
- · Learning by doing and learning by fun
- · Education by Projects (pedagogy and methodology), to found solutions for our problems, using our natural assets. Projects pedagogy for Self Reliance of African youth and Entrepreneurship.
- · Mathematics, Sciences and Technology in practice pedagogy.
- · Modern Assessment: how do you evaluate your students?
- · Curriculum development for quality education
To achieve this, Africa needs a techno-pedagogical team.
ICTs in EDUCATION
New Technology of Information and Communication has changed the world of learning and broke the barrier between teacher, learner and knowledge. In developed countries, even in primary, the large majority of kids have electronic equipments as mobile phone, smart phone, MP3, iPAD etc… They can get audio or video lessons and learn everywhere. They have also easy internet access. The benefit of ICT in education is becoming increasingly popular and the effect in terms of quality of education is clearly demonstrated.
In Africa, how can we adapt this kind of revolution in our education systems? Youth don’t have electronics devices and even though, connection is expensive and in rural areas, we even don’t have electricity. Teachers are struggling without curriculum of education in difficult conditions to do their job.
We always use ICT at school in Africa. Long time ago, even in rural schools, we learned songs by radio. Nowadays, there are many rural radio and many families have Radio receiver; TV, and video player. We will not be able to use the same equipment as in developed countries but we can create a technical team who can collect technical information on CD and video for teachers and students. Classrooms must be equipped by radio, TV, and video player. This will be a better way to use ICT as large as possible in Africa.
Victor AFANOU.
