A critical examination of the concept of education for self-reliance with reference to Swaziland

[摘要] In this research report I try zo critically investigate theconcept of education for self-reliance, a policy which someAfrican leaders such as Julius Nyere of Tanzania have tried toimplement. Amongst other things these African leaders claimedthat the education system provided in the 1960's in formerAfrican colonies was inadequate and inappropriate for peoples whowere still developing. For example Nyerere of Tanzania claimedthat graduates of the education system in Tanzania prior to 1967had the attitude of looking down upon manual skills and manuallabour in preference to knowledge appropriate to white-collarjobs. As a result Nyerere launched his policy of education forSelf-reliance for Tanzania in 1967. Implicit in Education for self-reliance is the idea of the vocationalisation of education.However, the research report posits that while such an idea isacceptable the concept of education for self-reliance needscareful analysis in order to be a viable notion of any educationsystem. Education for self-reliance as practised hitherto byformer African colonies seems to have been biased towardscommunity or national development to the extent of underminingindividual development of a person's individuality. Thus thisresearch report focuses on the concepts of individual andcommunity regarding the aims of education with reference toSwaziland. The education system in Tanzania before 1967 isexamined in order to provide some case study since Tanzania seemsto have been the only country which has formaly put into practisethe policy of education for self-reliance.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand