Describe the French Education Policy for Africa during the colonial period

The greatest difference between the British and French education policies in Africa was the ‘adaptation and the ‘assimilation’ approaches. We have seen the adaptation approaches of the British education policy designed by Lord Lugard. Here we now examine the French side and its assimilation approach.
The main objective of assimilation policy for the education in Africa in French colonies was to create a political and professional elite of high intellectual quality which could be identified closely with French cultural image. Although It was true that French system might not be relevant or suitable for Africans was seen as irrelevant.
The French education policy for Africa was to create French African elite in Africa. the role of the elite would be to mould African societies to French model. This would in turn lead to French speaking elite who would be the governing class throughout the French African colonies. The emphasis of the policy was to create and maintain standards in French colonies which are equivalent to those in France. through the teaching of French language and cultivating French culture.
In order to strengthen the system, the policy employed a large number of French teachers at all levels of schooling.
Furthermore the teaching of the French languages was discouraged. This was based on the recognition of the importance of the language in promoting the culture.
The excuse given for not promoting the local language was that, there were too many vernaculars in the colony such that, that would be too expensive to train and staff schools with necessary teachers. It was further emphasized that the vernaculars were unsuitable for technical training and there were textbooks already available in in France where there were none in any of the vernaculars.
Finally , under French system of education of assimilation, no attempt was made in French Africa to adopt the educational curriculum at any level of African need and condition.
In 1929, a more comprehensive plan of the native education was devised and approved. The main objective of the plan was to eradicate indigenous languages and cultural differences. This was to be effected through the production of the French educated indigenous elites annually. It was expected that this group of indigenous elite would in turn civilize others.
The chosen lot among Africans were to be educated in seclusion in special local boarding schools to ensure that they were completely away from local African environment so that they could acquire and properly master the French language and culture. IT was expected that this elite group spread out into the interior the progressive process of assimilation would reach the masses through the development of Franco- African culture which in turn would evolve even closer to French civilization.
Therefore, we note that in the school practice of the colonial powers reflected their main education policy of adaptation and assimilation.
In the British colonies for example, the primary school level of curriculum laid emphasis on the local environment and learning African language and the use of the same as a medium of instruction. But, the case was not same higher up the ladder of schooling. However, at the higher level of learning it became generally difficult to draw a line between the two policies. This was due to the fact that at these levels the issue of maintaining standards became confused with the need for identification with the European curriculum.
Consequently the establishment of higher education, the relevance of African tradition to educational needs was rarely taken into consideration.
However, whereas we have made a special note with regard to clear differences in school practice between two colonial powers in Africa, yet we find almost no difference at all with regard to secondary school practice.
For example, few secondary schools were established in the colonies of the two powers, had a great similarities. They clearly reflected the characteristics of the class schools in Britain and France. For example in British colonies the boarding schools had the trapping of the British public schools. These schools displayed among others the following
A belief that the main purpose of education is character training and that it should be primarily based on religion.
A conviction that, the function of secondary school is education for leadership which in turn stresses the importance of service.
The idea that quality of character training leadership and service can be best be developed in the communal life of a boarding school.
That what is taught outside the classroom hours e.g clubs, societies and in games were part of character training. These activities inspired character formation and leadership as well as training in the provision of service to others.
Although religion dominated the missionary schools a bias of religion character training permeated the government secondary schools in accordance with traditions of the British public schools. Therefore, the African children were forced to adopt a necessary price of obtaining formal education. This therefore presented a firm British culture tinged with religion.
Consequently, it is noted that, the effects of school organization generally, and particularly the boarding school, formed very important contributory factors in the process of the British form of assimilation.

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Titany answered the question on August 30, 2021 at 11:59