TITLE:
Education and Socialization in Ghana
AUTHORS:
George J. Sefa Dei
KEYWORDS:
African Education, Development, Cultural Knowledge, Ghanaian Learners
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
27,
2011
ABSTRACT: Africa has always been an important source of rich information for knowledge production. There has always been a curiosity about Africa that has served different imaginations and interests. But how do we learn and teach about Africa in ways that are informed by an appreciation of African peoples’ rich cultural knowledges, com- plexity and historic resistance of local peoples to carve out their own futures and dreams? I would maintain that knowing about education and socialization offer some important directions in this search for knowledge. Tradi- tional African education has utilized a variety of instructional and pedagogic methods as well as guides and resources to educate youth. Education in African communities has happened in multiple sites, formal and non-formal. Just as West African education can benefit from a study of educational delivery in other contexts, I would argue that a study of important aspects of West African formal and non formal education and socializa- tion of young learners may offer significant lessons for educating youth in other societies. There is intellectual relevance in asking such questions as: What and how do students in West African learn? What activities, stories do students experience in their education that can be incorporated into the curriculum to enrich educating stu- dents from diverse backgrounds in other contexts? What is the nature of the environment in which students learn in West Africa?