Education we need in Southern Sudan
By Rev. Bruno Dada
Dec 7, 2005 — Having explored some of the educational challenges facing Southern Sudan in my pervious article, I would like to go further to express my views of what kind of education we need for southern Sudan.
Southern Sudan is very rich in cultures, natural as well as human resources, it will there for take so much to plan and invest in it, it will involve so many patriotic individuals who have the nation in hearts to be able to do more sacrifices in order to uplift the situation, these include the curriculum developers who must come up with a curriculum that is not only be relevant but also adequate to prepare the young ones for a future that is certain.
We there fore need an education that must transform the leaner into a problem solving agent, a creator rather than a creature, the learner who must be aware of his/her potentials, limitations, strengths and weaknesses as human being, his/her power to use circumstances rather than be used by them.
The basic aim of our education must always be a matter of ensuring that the learners are prepared to become independent, self determined, self reliant within our given social context of southern Sudan and above, the role of teachers be beyond mere transmission of factual knowledge, they must present the knowledge skills and values that are liberating in as far as they create new horizons and new opportunities.
The educational curriculum must change and expand to meet the needs of educating citizens and world leaders, an education that is for life in the 21st century and beyond which should enhance the ability to lead change, think critically, work in teams, create and quickly adapt to new technology, be a self-managed learner, communicate effectively in a global economy, and understand the needs of the communities in which we work and live.
Learners in higher education should have a synthesis between the education received inside the classroom with that received through student participation in research and the community, the pedagogy needs to emphasize collaboration instead of primarily competition. Graduates should have the leadership, interpersonal, and management skills which will allow them to rise to the highest positions in all organizations, become more competitive to break through the managerial glass ceiling. In this way our graduates will be job-creators rather than job seekers.
Through out the history of mankind political and ideological reforms were complemented by educational reforms.
Fascism in Italy and Germany and totalitarian regimes of Mao Tse-tung could be very good examples in the education situation of the Southern Sudan
For example Mussolini’s minister of education, Giuseppe Bottai, drew up a pedagogical “charter” which was a radical reforming document that proposed to substitute for the existing bourgeois system one more responsive to the needs of students not heading for the university, the system included nursery schools, trade and artisan schools, special training for girls, and the introduction of practical crafts, among other considerations
Mao Tse-tung developed an educational policy that enabled everyone who received an education to develop morally, intellectually and physically and become a worker with both socialist consciousness and culture.
It therefore calls for all people of good will, who want bright future for the southern Sudan and especially the graduates to care fully think about our current education system and see if it is an education for life that encompasses all cognitive ,normative ,creative and dialogical dimensions of education within the given historical and socio-cultural context of the southern Sudan, because we may have so many learning institutions such as primary, secondary, training centre and or even universities in the southern Sudan but if they don’t offer the type of education that is needed and relevant, it defeats the reason or purpose of having any. May people like me would rather opt for meaningful educational quality rather than quantity
* Rev. Bruno Dada who is based in Khartoum, is graduated with a Master of Education degree( Educational administration and planning ) at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, including concurrent courses in curriculum design, implementation and evaluation. Email : [email protected]