ADLT 101 Introduction to Adult Education Session 11 Evolution of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education

2014/2015 – 2016/2017

ADLT 101 Introduction to Adult Education

Session 11 – Evolution of Adult Education in Africa & Ghana

Lecturer: Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney Contact Information: kbiney@ug.edu.gh/ikkbiney@yahoo.co.uk

Session Overview

Goals and Objectives

At the end of the session, the student will

• Describe indigenous adult education
• Examine how imperialism affected adult education

provision in Africa

• Discuss adult education during the colonial period in

Africa countries, including Ghana

• Analyse the provision of adult education after

independence and beyond in Ghana

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 2

Session Outline

• Introduction
• Evolution of Adult Education in Africa
• Evolution of Adult Education in Ghana
• Conclusion
• References
• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 3

Reading List

Activities and Assignments

• Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh/XXXXXXXXX
• Watch the Videos for Session 11 – Evolution of Adult Education Worldwide
• Review Lecture Slides: Session 11 – Evolution of Adult Education Worldwide
• READ CHAPTER 8 OF RECOMMENDED TEXT- NAFUKHO, F., AMUTABI,
• M. & OTUNGA, R. (2005). AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE OF ADULT LEARNING -

FOUNDATIONS OF ADULT EDUCATION IN AFRICA. HAMBURG: UNESCO INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION. PAGES 2 – 9. KWAPONG, O. A. T. F. (2009). REACHING THE UNREACHED-ICTS AND ADULT EDUCATION FOR EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL WOMEN. NEW YORK: UNIVERSITY PRESS OF

• AMERICA. PAGES 31-43
• Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 11
• Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 11
• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 4

Introduction

Evolution of Adult Education in Africa

• The beginnings of adult education in Africa can be traced to

indigenous adult education as informal or non-formal adult education.

• Omolewa (cited in Kwapong & Aggor, 2012: 11) indicates that

“adult and continuing education in Africa began with the creation of man on the continent”.

• Africans have traditional ways to educate their people.
• They do so by passing historical, political, religious, and

economic information and skills to their younger generations.

• This is done through storytelling, role-plays, proverbs, and

riddles.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 5

Introduction (Contd.)

• They also use drama, songs, dancing, paintings,

textiles/printing/weaving, and other artisan works in educating the younger generation.

• Communities teach indigenous knowledge systems

through daily life rather than strict formalised educational approaches.

• We have to note, however, that Africa went pass the

survival skills and included scientific and technological pursuits.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 6

Adult Education in Pre-Colonial Africa

Adult Education in Pre-colonial Africa

• Africa was the first continent to know literacy through a

school system years before the Greek let-ters alpha and beta.

• Literacy existed in Africa even before the origin of the word

alphabet and the use of the Latin word schola, from which the word school, came.

• The scribes of ancient Egypt wrote, read, administered,

philosophised, contemplated the beyond and caressed the infinite.

• Using first aid to writing, papyrus, which gives an indication

that formal adult education is very old in Africa.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 7

The Colonial Period

• The 1800s marked the beginning of more specifically organised

formal adult education in most parts of Africa.

• Imperialism is the covert or overt means one country used to

control or manipulate another.

• Education was the tool used to control and pacify Africans.
• This mission was achieved through missionaries who began an
• nslaught on the African adult education systems by replacing

them with modern forms of adult education.

• The new system was suitable for meeting their need to evangelise

and for reaching their imperial objectives.

• Schools were no longer natural organs connected in significant

ways to African society as with the indigenous adult education system.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 8

Adult Education in Africa

Adult Education in Post- independence Africa

• Adult education survived the

colonial period and progressed in Africa.

• In 1876, Fourah Bay College in

Sierra Leone, started offering degrees, and led the way, in Western-type adult edu-cation.

• Some staff from the college

conducted matriculation and commercial classes for adult learners in Freetown in 1940s.

• It was in 1951 that a full

department of adult education (extra-mural studies) was established at Fourah Bay College.

Adults Learning Environment

• The University of Cape Town

started an extra-mural programme in 1952.

• The University of Botswana,

Lesotho and Swaziland opened a country office for its Extension Department which was subsequently renamed the School

• f Adult Learning.
• In 1971, the Division of Extra-

Mural Services, provided outreach activities in the community.

• Ghana and Nigeria, like Sierra

Leone, also received Western-type

• f adult higher edu-cation quite

early after coming under similar Western missionary influence.

Evolution of Adult Education in Ghana

• Gold Coast (now Ghana), like other countries in

Africa, had adult education programmes through the early missionaries in the 19th century.

• The Basel missionaries’, for instance, organised

courses and Sunday schools for adults in their church to read and write, especially, the Bible.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 11

Adult Learning in Ghana

Take a quick view of the Ghanaian situation:

• Towards the end of the Second

World War, the British government investigated the need for establishing universities in the colonies.

• In 1948, mass education and

community development projects were launched, to

• rganise literacy classes for

adults.

• The picture at your left hand

side illustrates adult learners showing caring relationships with each other.

Adult Learning in Ghana

• Vocational

courses such as needlework, carpentry and building construction for the local people, later followed.

• In the mid 20th century, new

dimensions were introduced into the learning process, as a result of the evolution of mass education movement that began in the Gold Coast (Adoo-Adeku, cited in Kwapong & Aggor, 2012).

• A picture or photo on your right

illustrates a group of adults learners learning or putting into practice the skills at the workplace.

Provision of University-Based Adult Education in Ghana

• University-based adult education is adult education

programme that is offered by a university such as that

• f University of Ghana.
• Formal adult education programmes such as diploma,

bachelors, masters, PhD and non-formal adult education programmes such as the New Year School and Short Course in English Language, among others, are offered.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 14

Provision of University-Based Adult Education

Provision of University-Based Adult Education

• Workers' Colleges were established in 1962 to serve as

the focal points of the School.

• They offered formal, and non-formal programmes.
• The People's Educational Association (PEA) was

established in 1949 after the model of Workers Educational Association (WEA).

• It was to provide the ordinary people in society a chance

to develop their potentials.

• This was done through liberal education.
• The Annual New Year School has been one of the

prominent programmes.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 15

Provision of University-Based Adult Education (Contd.)

• The dynamism of the adult education programme in

response to development policy changes have led to changes in the names of university-based adult education department in University of Ghana.

• The need for professional adult educators led to the

introduction of formal programmes such as Diploma, BA, MA/MPHIL and PhD.

• Distance education has become one of the core

activities of the School of Continuing and Distance Education.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 16

The Future of Adult Education in Ghana

• The need for formal, non-formal and informal adult

education in Ghana keeps increasing.

• Based on the principle of lifelong learning, education

among the adult population, keeps rising.

• The dynamic nature of society makes it necessary for

the adult population to keep themselves abreast of the times.

• It is to meet the changing demands that bear on

qualifications for the job market.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 17

The Future of Adult Education in Ghana (Contd.)

• This drives adults to pursue new courses in different

modes, be it distance or sandwich, part time or fulltime.

• Some adults just want to learn for leisure and these

and many other factors call for continuous provision

• f adult education.
• This should be done in the way that it will respond to

the educational/career needs and life style of the current adult population and develop their human resource.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 18

Conclusion

• There is, thus, the need for political, infrastructural,

institutional, policy, funding and all the resources that will make adult educational institutions responsive to current needs, be provided.

• Governmental and non-governmental organisations as

well as international development organisations should continue to work in partnership to promote adult education in Ghana.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 19

References

Kwapong, O. A.T.F. & Aggor, R. A. (2012). Introduction to adult education. Accra: ICDE, University of Ghana. Nafukho, F., Amutabi, M. & Otunga, R. (2005). Foundations of adult education in Africa. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute for Education.

• Dr. Isaac Kofi Biney, SCDE

Slide 20