NKRUMAH’S PHILOSOPHY OF CONSCIENCISM AS FRAMEWORK FOR AN EDUCATIONAL REVOLUTION IN AFRICA

Abstract

We argue that an educational revolution is required to address some of the multidimensional problems that the African continent faces. This suggests that there is a lack of credible human resources as a result of the patterns of education, socialisation and indoctrination brought about by the European colonisation. The educational poverty of the African region, south of the Sahara is the underlying factor behind most of the socio-cultural, political, religious and economic problems witnessed in Africa today. We make recourse to Kwame Nkrumah’s social philosophy of Consciencism as a framework to bring about a mindset that is properly African in morality, originality and creativity; and yet modern by adapting critical and innovative attributes in order to bring about the educational revolution. Such a mind that is morally upright, creative, critical and innovative reflects originality, and a blend of them would inevitably result in development that Africa needs. We agree with Nkrumah and other scholars that colonialism contributed to the problems that Africa faces today, but however, contend that beneath the economic, cultural, religious, leadership/political and moral problems of Africa lies the fundamental problem, which is educational poverty. Employing the method of analysis and description, we shall use Nkrumah’s Consciencism as a framework to propose a type of education that is rooted in African ethical values, yet critical and innovative, to bring about an educational revolution.