Colonial Education

 

Colonization is when one nation or territory takes control of another, either by force or acquisition. In this process, the colonizing nation introduces its own educational system in the colonized territory. Scholars Gail P. Kelly and Philip G. Altbach describe this as a means to strengthen foreign rule. A key aspect of colonial education is assimilation, where the colonized population is pressured to adopt the customs and traditions of the colonizers. Gauri Viswanathan emphasizes that cultural assimilation is a potent form of political control, often happening before physical conquest.

 

Governments understand that their power lies not only in physical dominance, but also in influencing minds. They achieve this through a central institution of learning—the school system. This aligns with Louis Althusser's concept of an "ideological state apparatus." Kelly and Altbach argue that colonial schools aim to further the dominance and economic exploitation of the colony, focusing on integrating the colonized into the colonizer's culture rather than allowing for independent development.

 

Colonial education severs the ties of the colonized with their native learning systems, pushing them towards the educational structures of the colonizers. Much of the support for this system stems from supremacist beliefs of the colonizers.

 

Thomas B. Macaulay, for instance, expressed this in the early 19th century regarding British India. He asserted that a single European library shelf held more value than all the literature of India and Arabia. His goal was to create a class of individuals who, while of Indian descent, would embody English tastes, opinions, morals, and intellect. Though not all colonizers shared Macaulay's disrespect for the existing systems of the colonized, they did believe in the importance of education in facilitating the assimilation process.

When a new education system is introduced during colonization, it often leads to a diminished understanding of the colonized people's own history and traditions. The customs and practices that were once important gradually fade away. This phenomenon is discussed by Paul Gilroy in his work "The Black Atlantic." Children raised in this colonial education system often find themselves in a state of hybridity, where their identities are shaped by various cultural elements, beliefs, and power dynamics.

 

Colonial education blurs the distinction between the newly imposed ideas of the colonizers and the previously accepted native practices, making it challenging to differentiate between the two. Thiong’o, a Kenyan who experienced colonization, expresses his frustration with the destructive impact of colonial education on colonized peoples. He argues that this process erases people's belief in their names, languages, environment, heritage of struggle, unity, capabilities, and ultimately, their confidence in themselves. It causes them to view their past as a barren landscape of non-achievement, prompting a desire to distance themselves from it and identify with something far removed from their true selves.

 

Furthermore, colonial education not only leads to a disconnection from native heritage but also undermines individual self-confidence. Thiong’o believes that it instills a sense of inferiority and disempowerment in the collective psyche of colonized individuals. To undo the long-lasting harm caused by colonial education, postcolonial nations must relate their own experiences of colonialism to the histories of other nations. A new educational framework should embrace and empower the hybrid identity of a liberated people.