Illiterate graduates, educated slaves, and curriculum reforms

[Michael Kambarangwe Festo]

"Your Excellency, EDUCATION is the demonstrably single most effective lever of the individual’s and society’s livelihoods. It is also the greatest predictor of the prospects of the individual child, household, organization, and society. Accordingly, the recommendations I am rendering are based on an idea—an idea that there is a law, an explanation, open sesame, or a common denominator, why 1% of the world’s population owns more resources than 99%; or correspondingly, why only 1% does practically dominate every other vocation: Politics, sports, art, music, etcetera. As for the reader, make your own analysis and be convinced. The word “idea” has been used in its original form The word IDEA comes from Greek root IDEIN, 'TO SEE,' with a 'mind eye', (Wikipedia), connoting Idea, or 'Form, Pattern.' It is thus, an '…image held in the mind,' (Atkinson, 1912). To illustrate, take two—or three—persons, teams, or countries and give them same same resources. One will make tremendous progress as the other will continue relapsing into poverty and desperation, (Kambarangwe, 2016).

"Likewise, my recommendations are hinged upon an astonishing realization that “more gold has been mined from the brains of men [and women] than has ever been taken from the earth, (Hill, 1937). Thus, the curriculum, i.e. philosophy, content, teaching methodologies, and graduation requirements (or merit of a scholar or manager of people and resources) should transcend faculties of cognition and motor, e.g. the mastery of pure mathematics, language proficiency, economics, fine art, music, or sports, inter alia, as well as the conventional pencil-and-paper evaluation approaches.

'To borrow a statement from Curriculum for African Renaissance, “…the end we intend to achieve in education isn’t the certificates. It is neither the alpha nor the mastery of the subjects—physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, economics, philosophy, astronomy; calculus, bookkeeping, English language, or beekeeping—to mention a few misconceptions. “These subjects on their own are neither education nor do they make a difference to a learner’s life, contribute to his work efficiency, or transform society. No sir! They are all miscellaneous areas of study, yes, that help the learner acquire some kind of knowledge in these areas as well as a sense of importance, but that’s all. They’re, separately, what nails, bricks, cement, iron sheets, and timber are to a house, figuratively speaking. They aren’t a house by themselves. No, no, no! Nails and bricks, and cement and timber—among others—aren’t by themselves, a house. They become a house when they are organized in a specific manner.

"Separately, they are simply a set of building materials. Until when they are mixed in the right mix; until then that they have formed the foundation, the walls, the roof, and [the] rooms, and windows and doors, they are useless in as far as shelter is concerned. Mixing them in the right proportions and setting each item in its proper place—fitting them together—is what makes a house; right? In the same manner, mastery of physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, economics, even philosophy and astronomy; calculus, bookkeeping, English Language, or beekeeping, for instance, is neither education nor an end we desire or deserve in our pursuit of education. Moreover, we don’t educate our children and workforce for the sake of mere knowledge, certificates, or prestige. No sir! We want actions, results, solutions. Did I say “we want actions?” That’s not it. We demand actions, results, solutions. Using the analogy above we desire a house! A home! Not a bag of nails—to mention a few building materials,” (Kambarangwe, 2019)..."

—An excerpt from Chapter 6, Theory Of Change │ The Curriculum We Desire And Deserve: The Curriculum of the People, For the People, By The People, (HTTPS//WWW.KAMBARANGWE.CO.TZ).