African Education: New Strategies in Curriculum Development. 1979 World Education Monograph Series, Number One.

Africa's educational systems were developed by colonial and missionary authorities as a means to create a trained labor force with respect for European social and moral superiority. With independence, African nations were faced with selecting new objectives for their educational systems. Among the educational aims emerging are fostering national unity, preserving traditional culture, and, most importantly, developing the national economy. The attempt to meet these goals brings curriculum planners face to face with several specific problems: high drop-out rates, low employment, a conditioned bias against agricultural and technical education, a lack of qualified teachers, limited educational facilities, unequal educational opportunities for women, adult educational needs, inadequate pre-primary programs, the lack of an adequate language of instruction, and unstable economic conditions. (Author/PGD)