Synopses & Reviews
This pioneering study argues that the bitter civil war that thrust Zimbabwe into international headlines from 1966 to 1979 had its roots in the reports issued by the colonial commissions of inquiry into education. As the author explains in his introduction, these commissions and the reports they issued, which reinforced separate educational systems for African and white students, reached far beyond educational policy in their effects. Basing his work on original documents and materials which have not appeared in print before--most of which were only recently declassified by the government of Zimbabwe--the author shows the profound influence these reports had on government policy, on government control of opportunity in general, and on the relationships between and among institutions within the country.
Following an introductory overview, Mungazi turns to a discussion of the specific issues which the commissions were appointed to investigate. Separate chapters are then devoted to the circumstances surrounding the naming of commissions, their findings and recommendations, and the implications of implementing their recommendations on the character of colonial society itself. This chronological treatment enables the author to focus particularly on how the recommendations of the commissions constituted a sequence of developments that led inevitably to conflict. The final chapter draws some conclusions regarding the social environment that produced a major national conflict and discusses what might be learned from the tragic events that took place in Zimbabwe from 1966 to 1979.
Synopsis
This pioneering study argues that the bitter civil war that thrust Zimbabwe into international headlines from 1966 to 1979 had its roots in the reports issued by the colonial commissions of inquiry into education. As the author explains, these commissions and the reports they issued, which reinforced separate educational systems for African and white students, reached far beyond educational policy in their effects. His work is based on original documents and materials that have not appeared in print before--most of which were only recently declassified by the government of Zimbabwe.
About the Author
DICKSON A. MUNGAZI is Associate Professor of Education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Table of Contents
Preface
The Introduction of Western Education in Zimbabwe: The Search for a Strategy of Control
Circumstances Surrounding the Naming of Commissions: The Beginning of Government Control
The Findings of the Commissions: The Structure of Government Control
The Recommendations of the Commissions: The Purpose of Government Control
Implementing the Recommendations of the Commissions: The Effect of Government Control
Case Study in Conflict Between the Government and the Africans: Inquiry into the Effect of Government Control
The Outcome of the Reports of the Commissions: Church-State Conflict over Government Control
Commissions of Inquiry and Government Control: Summary, Conclusions, and Implications
Bibliography
Index