IMPACT OF WESTERN EDUCATION ON NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS EDUCATION SYSTEM
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY
By
ADEWALE ADEFARAKAN
INTRODUCTION
Education has been a means of transmitting one's
culture from one generation to another. It is the process of bringing about a
relatively permanent change in human behaviour. As the oldest industry, it is
the main instrument used by society to preserve, maintain and upgrade its
social equilibrium. A society's future depends largely on the quality of its
citizen's education.
In all human societies, education is meant to pass on
to the new generations the existing knowledge of their physical environment,
to introduce individuals to the organization of society, give them skills for
performing their daily jobs and enjoying their leisure, as well as inculcate
sound morals in them for their own benefit and that of the society. In other
words, education is a process by which the society assists the younger
generation to under stand the heritage of their past, participate productively in
the society of the present as well as contribute to the future. Based on these
reasons, education draws inspiration and nourishment from a society, but in
turn, it contributes to the growth, renewal and development of that society.
Sometimes rather informal, society has ways of
assisting the younger generations to understand the past and often exposing
them to the various values, ideals, and aspirations of the society. They may be
either formal/western or informal/traditional/indigenous.
TRADITIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM
Educational systems existed in African societies prior to
the coming of the Europeans. Such education was for the induction of members of
the society into activities and mode of thought that were considered
worthwhile. African societies, were noted for their rich cultural heritage
which was preserved and transmitted from generation to generation through a
system of traditional education.
This system is variously referred to as indigenous,
pre-colonial or informal or tribal or community-based education in Africa. Even
though there were in most cases no schools and professional teachers, there
were certain centres for initiation and adult members of society served as
teachers. Such a traditional system of training lacked the modern classroom setting
under the guidance of teachers. It was characterised by absence of
students/pupils with uniforms, regimentation and permanent teachers.
It was essentially practical training designed to
enable the individual to play a useful role in society. The philosophy of
traditional education was very pragmatic and was designed to form a gate way to
the life of the society. It was based on the philosophy of functionalisrn and
productivity. Although there were few theoretical abstractions, the main
objective was to inculcate a sense of social responsibility of the community to
individuals to become contributing members of the society. One of the main
features of traditional African education was the apprenticeship mode of
learning whereby people learned under masters.
Thus, traditional education, is the process by which
every society attempts to preserve and upgrade the accumulated knowledge,
skills and attitudes in its cultural setting and heritage to foster
continuously the well being of mankind. The content of the curriculum of
traditional education was very comprehensive and based on the philosophy
underlying the various job responsibilities in society.
The curriculum, though not documented, was very
elaborate embracing all aspects of human development. These ranged from mental
broadening, physical fitness, moral uprightness, religious deference to good
social adjustment and interaction. Both children and adolescents took part in
such activities as wrestling, dancing, drumming and acrobatic displays. There
was emphasis on mastery learning, which also features in contemporary
educational process. Individual training included the learning of certain
virtues such as honesty, respect for other peoples' property and rights, and
the dignity of manual labour. Hardwork, productivity, self reliance and
collective orientation towards the maintenance of the existing social order
were emphasised.
In respect to vocation, children were taught farming,
fishing, weaving, cooking, hunting, carving, knitting, building of houses,
mat-making and forging local farm implements. Different societal issues
constituted political traditional education. For example, young ones were
taught rules and regulations governing family, village and the individual,
relationship between members of society and villages. Intellectual training
included the study of local history, legends, poetry, reasoning, riddles and
proverbs. Those who excelled in these areas were highly revered in the society
as their expertise was of immense benefit to their society. An individual's
intellect in these directions was developed to enable him fit into such
professional groups as rain makers, herbalists, hunters, cult leaders and
priests.
The main method of teaching in the traditional
education system was learning by doing and story telling which was employed
effectively in teaching local history to the young ones. The process of
inculcating indepth knowledge and understanding of the ethics and principles of
traditional medicine, carpentry, sorcery, or cultism was restricted to certain
families and training for these was done through apprenticeship system.
Practical objects were handled by the learners during the course of their
training. Assessment of learners' performances was on a continuous basis (an
idea that is being revisited in contemporary educational system today). A
practical test relevant to the learners' experiences and level of development
was the final examination.
It is important to note that most of the features of
African traditional education system are prominent in the contemporary
educational system. For example, people who studied certain trades or vocations
spent a specified period of time and at graduation through a ceremony were
given either tools or materials to start their own trades.
It seems that the idea of specified period of
training, awarding of degrees or diplomas or certificate and convocation
ceremony is derived from the traditional system of education. How to meet the
needs of African society in current parlance was a major concern of traditional
African education (Obebe 1993). Education was functional and relevant to social
life or realities of the community.
Equal opportunities were provided for
adults, females, males and children alike in all areas, academic, recreational,
vocational, and social. Hence, there was no problem of unemployment as men and
women were engaged in meaningful activities which they lived on. Traditional
African education system was an indispensable factor for the smooth integration
of the growing children into society.
