Synopses & Reviews
Although colonialism has officially been terminated, it continues to affect populations whose recent history has been shaped by European institutions, economic policies, and cultural biases. Focusing on British educational policy in colonial Zimbabwe, this historical study offers a unique perspective on the subject. It provides a detailed examination of a British educational program for Africans established in the 1930s, the purposes it was intended to serve, and its long-term consequences.
A policy of practical training and tribal conditioning was designed and implemented by George Stark, Director of Native Education in colonial Zimbabwe from 1934 to 1954. Expressing the philosophy and goals of both Stark and the British colonial government, its stated purposes were to develop a vast pool of cheap unskilled manual labor and to confine the African population to tribal settings. Dickson Mungazi discusses the policy as at once a reflection of traditional Victorian socio-cultural attitudes and the means to maintain a colonial status quo that allowed the profitable exploitation of the colony's material and human resources. The author examines the consequent educational and economic disabilities suffered by the African population and the impact of their long exclusion from an effective role in the affairs of their country. This study is based on research utilizing extensive original materials from the period, including reports and official colonial government documents. It will be of interest in the areas of African history, colonialism, British social and political history, and the history of education.
Review
The greatest strength of the book is Mungazi's use of sources. Relying on primary documentation from missionary materials, government ordinances, and commission reports, Mungazi discovers the thoughts of the important actors, especially those of George Stark. Extensive use of these sources throughout the chapters and the inclusion of many in the fourteen appendices afford the reader the opportunity to evaluate Mungazi's often subjective conclusions.History of Education Quarterly
Synopsis
This historical study examines an educational program established in the 1930s by the British colonial government of Rhodesia, whose purpose was to create and maintain a vast pool of cheap unskilled labor and confine the African population to tribal settings.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [141]-148) and indexes.
About the Author
DICKSON A. MUNGAZI is Professor in the Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: The Meaning of the Introduction of Western Education for Africans in Zimbabwe
The Legacy of Duthie, Keigwin and Jowitt: Decrying the Policy of Practical Training as an Impertinence
Stark's Philosophy of Education for Africans: Relating the School to Tribal Life and to Colonial Conditions
The Effect of Implementing Stark's Philosophy: Assuring African Progress or Serving Government Interests?
The Alliance Between Huggins and Stark: A Major Problem in African Education
Stark's Role in Church-State Involvement in African Education: The Search for a New Institutional Partnership
Stark's Role in the Crisis in African Education: Case Study in Mangwende Reserve
Educational Policy for Africans Under Stark: Summary and Implications
Bibliography
Indexes