Education is new liberation struggle, Falola tells African leaders

Celebrated Professor of History, Toyin Falola, has called on African leaders to reimagine education as the continent’s new liberation frontier.
He argued that the 21st century battle for Africa’s emancipation lies not in political rhetoric, but in transforming education into a force for critical thought, innovation, and inclusive development.

Falola, who holds the prestigious Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin, made the call while delivering a public lecture titled ‘Power, Education and Change in Africa’, at Karl Kumm University, Jos.

Professor Falola said: “Education is the foundation of all change. It is our greatest hope for transformation.” He emphasized that while previous generations of Africans waged wars for political independence, the current generation must commit to intellectual liberation.
“Increasing school enrollment is not enough,” he warned. “We must ensure that education fosters political participation, innovation, and self-determination.”

Falola urged African policymakers to place education at the centre of their national priorities. “Without a skilled, informed, and critical citizenry, Africa’s development will remain stunted,” he said. For him, education must not simply produce workers, but citizens equipped to question, reimagine, and lead.

Delving into the post-independence era, Falola reflected on how nationalists viewed education as a critical tool for unity and mobility. “Postcolonial education was positioned as a formidable medium for establishing national unity,” he explained. “Nationalists claimed that a shared educational system could help citizens from diverse ethnic and regional backgrounds see themselves as part of a collective national project.”

However, Falola noted that while the promise of education was grand, its fulfillment was fraught with challenges. Newly independent African states inherited colonial educational systems that were poorly equipped for mass education and disconnected from African realities. “These institutions were designed to serve the needs of the colonizers,” he said. “In many cases, they produced only a small elite to assist in colonial administration, leaving the broader population with little or no access to meaningful education.”

To counter this, African governments initiated bold efforts to reform education as a tool for national identity and centralisation of authority.
“Education was not only a means of fostering national pride. But also a way of building intellectual leadership and creating a workforce to drive economic growth,” he said.

Falola explained that in many post-independence contexts, education became an ideological vehicle shaped by the political visions of ruling parties. He said: “Governments used education to promote loyalty, legitimise power, and at times suppress opposition. Educational policy mirrored political ideologies—whether nationalist, socialist, or pan-Africanist.”

He highlighted the significant influence of political thinkers such as Julius Nyerere in Tanzania, Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, and Sekou Touré in Guinea, who adopted education as a means of building socialist nations rooted in self-reliance, community values, and collective growth. Curricula were redesigned to decolonize knowledge by emphasizing African languages, histories, and cultural traditions.

“These efforts were essential in reclaiming identity and rejecting colonial domination. They represented an intellectual resistance to Eurocentric curricula and were part of the broader project of African self-definition,” he stated.

Yet, Falola acknowledged the limitations that African states encountered in achieving these lofty ideals. He identified corruption, political instability, resource scarcity, and weak infrastructure as persistent barriers to educational development. “Many nations’ educational systems remained underfunded and unable to meet the needs of rapidly growing populations,” he said.

The professor also highlighted the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War as another complicating factor. “African countries found themselves navigating the ideological crosswinds of Western capitalism and Eastern socialism. Foreign aid, loans, and diplomatic ties often came with conditions that shaped domestic educational policies,” he noted.

Despite these challenges, Falola remains unwavering in his belief that education remains Africa’s most potent tool for liberation. “The promise of education as a vehicle for empowerment, democracy, and national development must not be abandoned,” he said. “Education must evolve to meet not only the state’s economic needs but also the aspirations of a politically conscious and socially active populace.”

The lecture drew a wide audience, including academics, students, clergy, government officials, and community leaders.

Source: TheGuardian