COLONIAL EDUCATION

IntroductionMeaning of Colonial EducationMissionary EducationPositive outcome of Missionary EducationNegative outcome of Missionary Education

Introduction Tanzanian Indigenous education that

existed for centuries was intervened in 19th century.

From then on, Western Formal education was introduced in Tanzania.

Industrial revolution in Europe led Europeans to come to Africa to seek for areas of influence.

Their intrusion in Africa started with missionaries who paved the way for colonialism.

Meaning of colonial educationEducation system brought by colonialists in countries where they colonized.

In Tanzania, colonial education includes the Missionary, German and the British.

Missionary educationEstablishment of formal education in Tanzania started around1868 with different Missionary organizations.

Most missionaries came first to Zanzibar and went to interior places in Tanganyika.

Johan Krapf, 1844 and Rebman in 1846 were sent to Zanzibar by British Church Missionaries society.

London Mission Society (LMS) as an agent of Metropolitan Economy Interest in Africa sent David Livingstone in Tanganyika.

His teaching focused on producing local priests (black clergy and catechist).

By 1885, the German missionary societies had already established and operated schools in Tanganyika.

Their schools was the backbone of missionary education.

Purpose of missionary educationMissionaries had economic, political and

religious purposes. Economic purpose: make native people

accept and supportive to European economy by changing their traditional culture (beliefs and value systems);

Political purpose: Integrate the country into the economic structure and political control of their home country.

Religious purpose: convert the natives into Westernized Christian religion.

Education under missionariesUsed land given by local chiefs to build

schools. First learners were freed slaves, paupers,

orphans, destitute and misfits. Some local chiefs did not want to change

their culture and beliefs so they removed their children from missionary schools.

Those who were absorbed by the mission schools became teachers, semi-skilled workers, craftsmen or farm laborers.

CurriculumMissionaries introduced three types/

streams of curriculum.1. More academic for the bright

pupils:3Rsgeometry, geography, chemistry, Grecian and trigonometry.

2. The industrial stream. It included technical subjects for less

academically capable pupils) crafts, trade, carpentry, metal work, carving.

3. Agricultural/ labor stream which included the skills 3Rs and religious studies.

Language of instruction: African vernaculars and Kiswahili.Missionary groups did not use similar

syllabus or similar medium of instruction.

They hated secular education and opposed native authority schools paid for by local chiefs to train their own elites.

Vocational training was emphasized for their own use.

By 1900 they were about 600 hundred schools with a combined enrollment of 50,000 pupils (Mushi, 2009 ).

Positive aspects of missionary education

Abolition of slave trade; the Holly Ghost Fathers in 1860 helped freed slaves, established settlement, build schools and hospitals, example, Zanzibar Machui.

Conserving African languages: They used Kiswahili and vernacular languages in teaching which raised local languages.

Put the local language in to writing scripts.

Spread education services, supported school facilities, supplemented government education where it was impossible.

Established commercial farming of coffee, cotton, vegetables, cattle and poultry.

Establish social services like hospitals, technical institutions, communication network (railways and roads) in the interior parts of the country which helped people of all beliefs.

Created global awareness through the content of education.

Benefitted local people like Mbeya, Kilimanjaro, and Bukoba which made them more developed regions socially and educationally.

Laid a foundation of few elite. These elites;struggled for independence, fostered nationalism in Tanzania. produced political leaders after

independence.

Negative outcomeEducation emphasized more on

religious and civilization purposes rather than building local labor force.

Gradual disappearance of traditional practices (songs, dances, initiation ceremonies and ancestral worship) which were replaced by western religion and education.

Caused disunity among people in the society.

Destroying African type and whole system of education and technology.

Discrimination in terms of education. Muslims were deprived education unless they converted to Christianity.

Education produced;robot elites, dehumanized Africans dependents on foreigners.

Africans became Western tools for their economic system as education was geared towards serving Western interests.

Stratification in rural areas and regional disparity; Haya, Chagga and Nyakusa became more educated because missionary education was provided in their areas.

Gender inequality in education, boys attended more in missionary schools than girls.

The content of the curriculum was different for children leading to:deprivation of opportunity to some children to develop some skills.

Forming a base of inequity in Tanzania.

REFERENCES Mapuri, R (1996): The 1964 Revolution:

Achievements and Prospects. Tema Publishers Company Ltd: Dar es Salaam.

Mushi, P.A (2009): History and Development of Education in Tanzania. African Books Collective.

Lema, E et al [editors] (2006): Nyerere on Education (Nyerere Kuhusu Elimu). Vol II , HakiElimu: Dar es Salaam.

wwwchakaschool.com/education.html nurturingmindsinafrica.org/id45.html