Ademakinwa Adebisi
University of Lagos, Nigeria
Abstract
Nigeria as a
country is blessed with a large number of literate people: scientists,
engineers and so on, yet the manpower needed to harness its enormous resources
should be the natural outcome of its education system. The paper reassesses the
notion which hinges African economic development on the achievements of its
formal education system. The paper, due to this raises some questions among
which are: is development best measured with the yardstick of high percentage
of literate youths? Can we read economic achievements into the quantity of
engineers, scientists and etc. that a nation is able to produce? What ethics
predominates in the conglomeration of African elite to influence African
development?
Materials are
drawn from the rich stock of traditional Yoruba proverbs while two novels by
Chinua Achebe’s: No Longer at Ease and T. A. Awoniyi’s Aiye kooto analyse the
ingredients necessary for the creation of a ‘total man’. They also provide
veritable socio-political backgrounds for an adequate comparison of the various
concept of education churned up in the process.
It was
established in this paper that traditional Yoruba concept of economic
development is at variance with the
modern concepts since traditionally, Yoruba society placed high premium on
human development as opposed to those we term ‘naira and kobo’ inherent in the
modern concept of economic development. The paper symbolises the failure of the
current education system by its products exemplified by the ill-trained and
corrupt elite at the helms of affairs in the country. The paper reiterates how
Nigerians can maintain a symbiotic African traditional education system and the
modern formal one as one of the ways capable of guaranteeing the formation of a
‘total man’. The paper sees the ‘total man’ as the alternative to currently
evolved individuals that are ill-trained ethically and mentally to fast-track
the development of African continent on the social, political and economic
fronts.
The
importance of this paper rests on its interdisciplinary assessment and use of
African cultural perspective, literature and myths to analyse the role of
culture in African development.
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