MANSFIELD UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

DISTANCE LEARNING
STUDENT NAME : DOROTHY SHIMOKA

NRC NO : 251295/81/1

STUDENT ID : 2021109
PROGRAM : DIPLOMA IN PRIMARY TEACHING EDUCATION

COURSE NAME : PHYLOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

TUTOR : DR. NYAMBE .F

YEAR : TWO (2)

DUE DATE : 14TH JULY, 2025

QUESTIONS:

Discuss the philosophical basis of education in Zambia from post colonial period UpTo date in
Zambia

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The philosophical basis of education in Zambia, post-independence, has been significantly shaped
by the ideology of Zambian Humanism, which aimed to create a society that prioritizes human
dignity and social responsibility. This philosophy, championed by the first president Kenneth
Kaunda, influenced educational policy and practice, emphasizing values like self-reliance, unity,
and social justice. Prior to independence, education was largely segregated and limited, but the
post-colonial era saw a push for equitable access and a curriculum aligned with national
development goals.

According to Akinpelu (1981), the term Philosophy of education can refer to different meanings
depending on the situation. However, in this paper the term will refer to one of any educational
philosophies that promote a specific type or vision of education, and/or which examine the
definition, goals and meaning of education. According to the oxford English dictionary, Pre-
colonial can be defined as being the period of time before colonization of a region or territory. In
other words, it is the time before the coming of the Europeans to Africa.
Prior to 1 st January 1964, there was not equality of educational opportunity in what is now the
Independent Republic of Zambia. The African and non African Systems of education were quite
separate and between them there was little communication. In the pre-federation days 1 there were
two distinct departments of education and, during federation days, non-African education and all
higher education were not the direct responsibility of the Northern Rhodesia government. The non-
African system also catered for the Asian and coloured population in separate schools, but its
predominant purpose was to meet the needs of the European population permanently settled or
temporarily resident in the country.
The main reason for the separation was that the two systems, although ha ving very similar long-
term educational aims, started from widely different points and, in consequence, they varied
greatly in the speed arid practicab - ility of obtaining their objectives.
From the start, the objectives of the European system were quite clear. Through its school
organization, syllabus, language and social practice it was charged with preparing its pupils for the
more highly developed, co mpetitive and sophisticated society found in European countries. As
the European population was competitively small - in 1953 for example when the federation was
established, there were some 53.000 Europeans in Northern Rhodesia compared with some
2.660.000 Africans - the size of the problem was not large and, as a result, it was possible to
maintain a system of compulsory education between the ages of 7 and 15 years, to provide high

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standards of school buildings and equipments, to supply spe - cialist services, medical as well as
educational, and to obtain the finance necessary both to maintain and to increase these facilities in
accordance with the growth of the population.
But the speed with which these objectives could be attained was inevit ably governed by political
and economic factors. Previous annual reports and triannual surveys have recorded the measure of
success which has been achieved in attaining them and, although the quantity and quality of the
primary education provided since 1925 compare favourably with those of other African countries,
much play has been made of the fact that Northern Rhodesia entered into independence as the
Republic of Zambia with the local human resources of only about 100 African University
graduates and less than a thousand African holders of a full secondary school certificate. Thus, the
main task during 1964 was to integrate the different systems of education obtaining in the country,
to promote a unit}' of purpose without necessarily requiring a uniformity of practice, to ensure
equality of educa - tional opportunity for all children, to increase such opportunities rapidly at all
levels to meet the national needs for educated and trained men and wo - men and in the process,
to maintain, extend and improve existing educa - tional standards.
Need for overall Re-orientation: much quantitative expansion in 1960s but overall structure,
curriculum and organization remained much as in coloni - al era. Piecemeal attention to certain
areas and components (i.e. language policy, the structure of secondary education, the constancy of
secondary education) but no attention to whole spectrum of education for children, youths, adults
as an integrated system. Partial attempt to address this at 1969 National education Conference,
considered quality, relevance, rising casts, general aims of education, etc, but did not consider
education as a whole or seek to give the whole system a new orientation.
Growing social concerns: Increasing unemployment, growing problems of primary school leavers
- no jobs for them in urban areas, few training facil - ities, inadequately prepared for life in rural
areas. Rural-urban inequalities becoming more marked, real rural incomes falling, shortage of
supplies in rural areas, poor medical, educational, transport and social services for rur - al poor.
Poverty getting worse instead of better, mostly in rural areas, but also a growing phenomenon in
towns. Doubts as to relevance of education in this scenario, but the same scenario induced rural
poor a) to want more education, b) to want more of the academic type of education which might
lead their children out of rural poverty and neglect.

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Educational systems existed in African societies prior to the coming of the Europeans. Such
education was for the induction of members of the society into activities and mode of thought that
were considered worthwhile (Fafunwa, 1974). African societies were noted for their rich cultural
heritage which was pre served and transmitted from generation to generation through a system of
traditional education.

This system is variously referred to as indigenous, pre-colonial or informal or tribal or community-

Indigenous knowledge systems, a tradition in which communities teach and learn from themselves
through daily life rather than strict education, were also highly important and effective (Omotoso,
2010). The apprenticeship perspective was of particular use to ancient Zambia ; by modelling the
necessary skills for others, junior members of the community learned to hunt, gather water, hold
meetings, etc. The overall purpose of this task-orientation type of education was to both learn
specific skills and "produce an individual who is honest, respectable, skilled, and cooperative and
conforms to the societal order of the day." (Fafunwa, 1962)

It was essentially practical training designed to enable the individual to play a useful role in society.
The philosophy of traditional education was very pragmatic and was designed to form a gate way
to the life of the society. It was based on the philosophy of functionalisrn and productivity.
Although there were few theoretical abstractions, the main objective was to inculcate a sense of
social responsibility of the community to individuals to become contributing members of the
society. One of the main features of traditional African education was the apprenticeship mode of
learning whereby people learned under masters.

Thus, traditional education is the process by which every society attempts to preserve and upgrade
the accumulated knowledge, skills and attitudes in its cultural setting and heritage to foster

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continuously the wellbeing of mankind. The content of the curriculum of traditional education was
very comprehensive and based on the philosophy underlying the various job responsibilities in
society.
Ocitti (1993:) asserts that the curriculum, though not documented, was very elaborate embracing
all aspects of human development. These ranged from mental broadening, physical fitness, moral
uprightness, religious deference to good social adjustment and interaction. Both children and
adolescents took part in such activities as wrestling, dancing, drumming and acrobatic displays.
There was emphasis on mastery learning, which also features in contemporary educational process.
Individual training included the learning of certain virtues such as honesty, respect for other
peoples' property and rights, and the dignity of manual labour. Hard work, productivity, self-
reliance and collective orientation towards the maintenance of the existing social order were
emphasised.

Walter (1972) identified the following features of indigenous African education which are: its
close links with social life, both in material and spiritual sense, its collective nature, its many-
sidedness; and progressive development of the child. He maintained that there was no separation
of education and productive activity or any division between manual and intellectual education.
Altogether through mainly informal means, pre-colonial African education matched the realities
of pre-colonial African society and produced well rounded personalities to fit into that society.

In respect to vocation, children were taught farming, fishing, weaving, cooking, hunting, carving,
knitting, building of houses, mat-making and forging local farm implements (Fafunwa, 1962).
Different societal issues constituted political traditional education. For example, young ones were
taught rules and regulations governing family, village and the individual, relationship between
members of society and villages. Intellectual training included the study of local history, legends,
poetry, reasoning, riddles and proverbs. Those who excelled in these areas were highly revered in
the society as their expertise was of immense benefit to their society.

The main method of teaching in the traditional education system was learning by doing and
storytelling which was employed effectively in teaching local history to the young ones (Fafunwa,
1974). The process of inculcating in-depth knowledge and understanding of the ethics and

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principles of traditional medicine, carpentry, sorcery, or cultism was restricted to certain families
and training for these was done through apprenticeship system. Practical objects were handled by
the learners during the course of their training. Assessment of learners' performances was on a
continuous basis (an idea that is being revisited in contemporary educational system today). A
practical test relevant to the learners' experiences and level of development was the final
examination. It is important to note that most of the features of African traditional education system
are prominent in the contemporary educational system. For example, people who studied certain
trades or vocations spent a specified period of time and at graduation through a ceremony were
given either tools or materials to start their own trades.

It seems that the idea of specified period of training, awarding of degrees or diplomas or certificate
and convocation ceremony is derived from the traditional system of education. How to meet the
needs of African society in current parlance was a major concern of traditional African education
(Ocitti 1993). Education was functional and relevant to social life or realities of the community.
Equal opportunities were provided for adults, females, males and children alike in all areas,
academic, recreational, vocational, and social. Hence, there was no problem of unemployment as
men and women were engaged in meaningful activities which they lived on. Traditional African
education system was an indispensable factor for the smooth integration of the growing children
into society.

The onset of the colonial period in the 19th century marked the beginning of the end for traditional
African education. European forces, missionaries, and colonists all came ready and willing to
change existing traditions to meet their own needs and ambitions (Walter, 1972). By demanding
that communities create physical schools with strict curriculum, the foreign powers were able to
dictate what the people learned, adjusting it to further their agenda. This not only forced new form
and content to education, but abandoned the knowledge gained from the largely informal
education. With less community awareness, efficiency in learning skills, and especially
understanding of the past, African communities began to dwindle in education and prosperity.

To some extent, Europeans thoughtlessly applied their own curricula without reference to African
conditions. As content, the schools equipped the African with little more than an elementary

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knowledge of the English Language for an economic future in which a senior clerkship was the
upper limit of his permissible advancement. In terms of need and desire, there were hundreds of
candidates for every school vacancy. (Coleman, 1986).

The process of colonization involves one nation or territory taking control of another nation or
territory either through the use of force or acquisition. As a bye-product of colonization, the
colonizing nation implements its own form of schooling within their colonies so as to suit their
purpose.The colonizing government realized that they gain strength not necessarily through
physical control but through mental control. This mental control is implemented through a central
intellectual location- the school system. Kelly and Altbach (1984) states that “colonial schools
sought to extend foreign domination and economic exploitation of the colony. They felt that
education in the colonies seems directed at absorption into metropolis and not separate and
dependent development of the colonized in their own society and culture. They concluded that the
process is an attempt to strip the colonized people away from their indigenous learning structures
and draw them towards the structures of the colonizers.

Just as the European controlled African participation in the new economic order, they carefully
structured African education, so as to perpetuate their underdevelopment and dependency (Walter,
1972). The system of education was designed to impose upon Zambia , the white man’s mythical,
racial superiority and African inferiority, hence making the Zambia to be more subservient to the
white masters. Whatever Zambia were taught about themselves was designed to enable them to
internalize their inferiority and to recognize the white man as their savior. Colonial schooling was
education for subordination, exploitation, and the creation of mental confusion and the
development of underdevelopment.

Colin (1968) contended that certain amount of technical training was essential to provide cheap
semi-skilled labour but that it could not be allowed to continue beyond a given standard or the
Zambia would soon be competing with whites. No matter whatever progress that was put in place,
it could not change the fact that colonial education was an instrument to serve the European
capitalist class in its exploitation of Africa, thus making the Zambia to be more subservient to
their colonial masters. Whatever colonial educators thought or did could not change that basic fact.

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Colonial education did more than corrupt the thinking and sensibilities of the African, it filled
him/her with abnormal complexes which de-Africanized and alienated him/her from the needs of
his/her environment (Walter, 1972). Colonial education has thus dispossessed and put of out the
control of the African intellectual the necessary forces for directing the life and development of
his/her society.
However, it is important to acknowledge that there was some expansion in education provision
during the federation years. During the first years, from 1953 to 1960, the aim for African
education was to consolidate and improve the primary school system, to develop secondary
education and vocational training schemes and to increase the supply of trained teachers. By 1963,
about 342,000 children were enrolled in primary school and 7,050 in secondary. At the secondary
level, 80 per cent of the total enrolment were boys. A significant development took place toward
the end of the federal era. The Northern Rhodesia (territorial) government invited the United
Nations and the British government to help plan the future development of its education system,
to advise on the establishment of a university and to develop a framework for an integrated
economic and social development plan.

By the end of the colonial era in 1964, expansion of primary and secondary schools had begun and
the Zambian government implemented the establishment of a university immediately after
independence. At the point of independence, educational provision was still poor, but the country
was quite rich. For the next ten years, between 1964 and 1974, the Zambian government
successfully pursued a policy of giving priority to expenditure on education and massively
expanding educational provision at all levels. Later, this educational expansion was affected by
the fall in copper prices

It is important to point out that the starting point in planning the study that this book focuses on
was the author’s strong impression that classroom teaching and learning, the problems faced at
this level and considerations of what could be done at school level to resolve these problems have
tended to be ignored by scholars in the past. Rather, previous research has, understandably enough,
concentrated on the effect of reduced input into the system and on its output. Nonetheless, teaching
and learning is at the centre of the education system and understanding what teachers and learners
do and experience is critical. Schools need not simply be victims, but can be active agents in their

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own salvation. The author’s primary concern in undertaking this study with the unresearched state
of classroom teaching and learning.

The English referred to in this study will be largely ‘secondary school English’ unless otherwise
stated. This is the language and subject taught in Zambia broadly as handed over from British
teachers and educationists, but with a number of changes that it has since undergone. English in
this context will mean the English language as a subject taught from grades 8–12, that is ages 12
to 18. English is the medium of instruction in Zambia. ‘English medium’ is used to refer to an
education system in which English is the sole or main medium of instruction. It is the language in
which all or most of the subjects are taught right from the moment the child enters primary school
in grade 1.

However, this was adjusted throughout Zambia in 1965 and later in 1996 to begin with teaching
in a local language in the first two grades. In Zambia, some languages have been designated
‘official’ and are used in specified situations such as education, broadcasting, parliamentary
debates, law courts and administration. The most important official language is English. Cibemba,
Cinyanja and Silozi were at first the three other ‘official’ languages; Citonga was added to these
in 1936. English, as the most important official language, is used in education as the medium of
instruction throughout primary school, and in secondary and post-secondary education.

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In conclusion, the assignment has outlined the philosophy of education of Zambia during the pre-
colonial period and showed the changes that took place to it as a result of the introduction of
colonial masters’ philosophy of education. The paper has further reviewed how Zambia remained
subservient to their colonial masters.

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 REFERENCES
Akinpelu J. A. (1981), An introduction to Philosophy of Education, Macmillan: London.

Coleman, J.S. (1986), Nigeria Background to Nationalism: Broburg and Wistrom, Benin City.

Colin, J. (1968) The lonely African, New York: Claredon.

Fafunwa, A. B. (1974) History of Education in Nigeria London: George, Allen and Unwin.

Fafunwa, A. Babs (1962). African education and social dynamics. Accra: University of Ghana.

Kelly, G. P. and Philip, G. A. (1984) Introduction “The four faces of colonialism” Education and
colonial experience (ed).

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