Miseducation, Undereducation, and Uneducated, Ghana/Africa

Ignorance is a ball and chain to Black/African people as they continue to struggle against such racist maneuvers as systematic white supremacy, ‘whiteness’, ‘white privilege’, ‘white-washing’ and Eurocentric-curriculums. A recommended reading The Mis-Education of The Negro by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.

It must be understood that comparing education issues that plague Ghana to education problems in other parts of the world (i.e. U.S., U.K.), especially when Ghana was the hub of chattel slavery for 400+ years and ranks substandard internationally— is quite pointless. Many may agree, it is an inept attempt to cloak the real problem instead of confronting the issues and taking action to improve education in Ghana.

Also, take this into consideration, members of the Sixth Region of Africa, especially Ascendant of Africans who were stolen from the Motherland are repatriating to Ghana/Africa hoping to further unlearn, relearn, connect and reclaim the rest of their African heritage and culture(s). So, comparing education issues to white dominated western nations’, takes us down a dead end road and really does not help matters in Ghana.

We must learn to deal with the education problem, ‘selective remembrance” (S. Okyere); and the absence of well-shelved high-tech public libraries connected to other library’s networks. You think the lack of libraries is by design via old Gold Coast European colonialists? Emphatically, yes.

With such education issues in Ghana the system is hardly preparing youth for the global community. The Ghana education system is ‘dumbing-down youth’; it is leaving them vulnerable to racist European neo-colonialists who want to exploit and maintain control of Ghana— with the aid of ‘Negropeans’ (M. Ani). who yearn to devise some form of a “Black bourgeoisie” (E. Frazier) that is nothing more than a flimsy make-shift caste system where folks are wrestling for status in an underdeveloped African nation.

Certain educators in Ghana have spoken out concerning the education issues. Are they to be ignored or dismissed because a group has a problem with those educators political or tribal/nation affiliation, personality or the job position they hold? Instead of drumming up useless drama let’s investigate what these educators are reporting for the sake of our youth.

The People should demand ELECTED government officials to seriously address the education problems that are damaging to Ghana’s ability to secure itself from incompetence and corruption, nepotism and tribalism, which has hindered efforts to further develop the nation and prepare for the future.

These questions must be posed and addressed-- Why not devise an African-centered syllabus? Are Black people not Africans? Do the masses of African people think mimicking Europeans or Eurocentric syllabi is a path to success? If so, then the European indoctrination process has been a success.

Also, will undereducated youth be the future writers of Ghana schools textbooks, which of course, the books would be a reflection of the poor education system? Why construct schools where youth are taught to “chew and pour”? Why not teach youth to think outside the box, more so beyond 54 African borders and into and really learning how to analyze African History and play a role in furthering agriculture technology or space exploration?

Why hire teachers who only rote teach and cannot/do not go beyond baby-sitting, eating and napping on their desks? Or why hire teachers who think teaching students to research and critical think is too much work (some teachers are not even taught this themselves); or teachers whose mindset is training sessions are about escaping from their classrooms.

The cycle of ignorance-- there are even undereducated and uneducated parents who do not value learning and prefer their children not be more intelligent than them or think anything beyond their backwardness is blasphemous. European colonialists have brainwashed and dumb those parents down to the point they fear ancient African cultures and define them as pagan learning.

Meanwhile, the same ancient Black/African royalty and writings those parents are taught by Europeans invaders to reject, Europeans continue to steal “African legacies” (G. M. James) and rewrite ancient African accomplishments as their contributions to the world even if they did not exist or were civilized in that period in time (see Caucasus Mountains history).

It must be understood and taken seriously, education in Africa is neither just about ‘hawking’ (selling in the streets), marketing Chinese merchandise out of kiosks, hustling gold mines/Galamsey, oil drilling with foreigners’ equipment; nor does intelligence belong to just one ‘human-kind’ or race that perpetuates it is superior.

Black/African Education is about gaining an understanding that Black people outside of Africa are not obruni, akata, nor foreigners or tourists. When such terms are used it divulges one’s level of ignorance as it pertains to the history, it reveals the person’s psychological development has been practically arrested.

For many members of the Black masses, education is about knowledge based on the contributions of ancient Black/African Nile River Valley civilizations (i.e. TaNehesians, Kemetians, Cushites, Puntites), more so it’s universal.

Black/African education is also about knowledge, wisdom and understanding; it is refinement, integrity; family and Black economic empowerment. Education is about nation building-- Black upliftment out of the quagmire of ignorance, learning and understanding how to strategize against residuals of white supremacy yesteryear and as it continues to evolve throughout generations. Therefore, those who are intentionally or unintentionally miseducating Ghana youth, it must cease—immediately. “Forward ever …”

Credits:

Joy Online ( 24 May 2021). Ghana’s education system produces functional illiterates- Dr. Abudu (retrieved 21 April 2022, https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghanas-education-system-produces-functional-illiterates-dr-abudu/)

GhanaWeb (8 Jan. 2020). Ghana ranked second to last on education globally – Prof. Adei (retrieved 21 April 2022, https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchieve/Ghana-ranked-second-to-last-on-education-globally-Prof-Adei-831856)

References:

JoyOnline (2016) Slavery and selective remembrance by Samuel Okyere, Assistant Professor Sociology and Criminology, School of Sociology and Social Policy (Room B37) University of ottingham. Slavery and selective remembrance (retrieved 21 April 2022, https://www.myjoyline.com/slavery-and-selective-remembrance/

E. Franklin Frazier (1955) Black Bourgeoisie

G. M. James (1992) Stolen Legacy: Greek philosophy if stolen Egyptian philosophy

Marimba Ani (1994) Yurugu: An African-Centered Critique of European Cultural Thought and Behavior

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Dr. K. Makeda Muhammad is a ‘Repatriate’-- a returnee to Africa via Ghana in 2011. Dr. Makeda’s field of study is Black Studies--she is an educator, writer, Pan Africanist, community activist, and social media freedom fighter.

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