Theses on basic education and village development in Black Africa

Conclusions

Reforms in basic education which seek to orientate the content of learning more closely towards environmental and actual working conditions are not sufficient on their own for solving problem sof development in the countries of Black Africa. But if these reforms are implemented consistently, they may initiate a dynamism of their own which would affect conditions in the rural communities in the long term. This change could be initiated by:

• -strengthening the political consciousness of the rural population by way of information on their rights and dutiesvis-à-vis the state and its institutons;

• -providing more detailed knowledge about the institutions at government and non-government level which are contributing towards development; and

• -enabling the population groups concerned to draw on these institutions in order to change their own local conditions.

On the whole it is reasonable to assume that reforms initiated in the field of basic education are likely considerably to broaden attitudes towards integrated development programmes and thereby create the preconditions for successful improvements in rural areas.