International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue VIII, August 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
Educational Curricula Design and Developmenti in the African States, in the Digital Age?
Vincent Chukwukadibia Onwughalu
Department of Public Administration, Federal Polytechnic, Oko Anambra State, Nigeria
Abstract: This paper examines the relevance of the educational curricula of African states in the digital age. Education is strategic in the formation and development of human capacity, as it is a prerequisite for self-discovery and development of society. Relying on the analysis of secondary data, the paper examines the mismatch between skills acquired in most African schools and the set of skills needed to function optimally in the digital age. It traces this to the curricula in use which contribute to the non-development and underdevelopment of learners’ii capacity, and therefore an increase in the rate of unemployment, amongst other challenges. The revolution driven by information communications technologies has impacted virtually all walks of life and redefined how things are done in the digital age. We advocate an overhaul of the educational system of African states and subsequent reviewing and revising of their curricula to facilitate inculcating in learners a set of skills needed to function optimally for their development and for society.
Keywords: African states, design and development, educational reform, reviewing and revising educational curricula, the digital age
I. INTRODUCTION
The debates on the purpose of education curricula during the colonial era show that they were designed and developed to meet the aspiration of the colonial masters. In hindsight, education in the colonial era was designed to facilitate trade and later the recruitment of personnel into the civil service. We argue that during the period, education was deliberately tailored to inculcate in the learners the type of knowledge the colonialists wanted, rather than the development of skills and the building of capacities. In perspective, while African states like South Africa, Uganda and Kenya are making efforts to deviate from this kind of approach to education that restricts the learners’ abilities, similar efforts are yet to be seen in Nigeria, Liberia, Benin, Madagascar, etc. Egypt is making radical reforms of its curricula in line with the requirements of education in the digital age.
Many school leaversiii and graduates in Africa are either unemployed, under employed, or unemployable. These are mainly the young population who ought to have acquired the needed skills and to have developed the ability to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit and to exploit available resources for their own development and for society. The paper aims to show that the major challenge is with the content and pedagogy in the digital age in Africa. It points out the consequences and suggests ways to address them to facilitate development in Africa.