By the year 2008, the population of the African continent is likely to be in the range of a billion people. There will be 155 million children of primary school age who will need 4 million teachers, and the 76.4 million students then eligible for secondary education will require 2.55 million teachers. In order to be able to meet the demands of that situation the various African peoples and their respective governments will have to strive for self-sustaining and self-reliant socioeconomic development policies.
In recent years, the various national development strategies have been beset by problems. Widespread and severe drought has ravaged more than thirty countries on the African continent, while an excessive outward orientation--coupled with a deteriorating international economic environment--has further added to the internal structural imbalances of African national economies.
The transformation and reorientation of these development strategies will have to incorporate fundamental principles for steady advancement. They must make optimum use of local resources, reduce reliance on external aid, and apply cost-saving measures such as regional and subregional resource sharing. In particular, the reorientation of educational policy will require, as far as possible, the local training of local professionals and the production of relevant reading and teaching materials in those areas of specialization dictated by the locale's immediate and long-term socioeconomic needs. Locally created and produced texts can ensure greater relevance in comparison to imported materials. Furthermore, dependence on donated reading material may sometimes lead to ideological subjugation.
The creation, publication, and distribution of reading and teaching materials require a well-knit industry, the growth of which depends on numerous factors, including government policies and general socioeconomic conditions. Moreover, it is incorrect to assume that there is one standard model available that is suitable for all conditions and countries. On the contrary, local problems and issues have to be resolved using local solutions.
Historical perspective
In the past, reading was not part of the common way of life in Africa. In the words of a Ugandan librarian:
[In] the traditional African society, and particularly in Uganda of the past, communication through mass media was not known. The methods used during those days were extensive, varied and effective. They were mainly visual and aural. Visual communication systems like smoke signals were used to pass messages from one village to another. Facial expressions, costumes, tribal marks and scars provided emphasis. Likewise, aural communication of information involved some physical arts. For example, they used horns, different sounds of drums, tales, proverbs, riddles, etc., to denote specific messages. (Ondur-Oringho, 1985)
The colonial powers introduced educational systems that demanded reading as a necessary skill required to pass examinations. As twentieth-century African nations achieved independence from colonial rule, the principle of universal education was commonly accepted. In Africa today, expanded university education and accelerated research activities have led to the production
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