Education, Democracy and Political Development in Africa

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For most of the post-independence period African states have been ruled by one-party and military regimes. Writers on political development theory came to see this as inevitable. Pressures both from within Africa itself and from outside, however, have rekindled debates about democracy in the African context and have led to a whole raft of multi-party elections. There is a widespread fear, nevertheless, that the democratic reform of political institutions may not last after the first round of internationally sponsored or supervised elections. The pressing issue therefore is how to make democracy sustainable on the African continent in the longer run? This book looks at the role of one key social institution in this process -- formal schooling. Schooling should enhance democratic skills, values and behaviours necessary to sustain democratic political institutions. This book argues, with supporting evidence from a wide range of African countries, that currently schools are an obstacle to education for democracy. However, there are encouraging signs and examples from certain African countries which suggest that the importance of education for democracy has been recognised. This book aims to provide a political analysis of education in Africa within the context of democratisation.