Education as a Mechanism of Control: Examining the Impact of Memorization-Based Curriculum on Critical Thinking and Autonomy in Africa

Abstract

This paper aims to determine how education as a method of control manifests itself in African contexts, and this will be based on a focus on memorization-based curriculums commonly practiced in these regions. Starting from colonialism, this teaching approach relied more on productiveness rather than productivity through rigorous thinking than encouraging independent, creative, and efficient African learners. Therefore, the paper posits that reliance on memorization elicits a system dependence rather than self-directiveness and hinders locally fostered progression. Due to this narrowed-down procedure that centers on content delivery to the development of aids, the education system limits the scholarly freedom of students by merely training them to be obedient citizens and not creative minds. As such, this paper posits that more African nations should pursue curricula that promote analysis, context-based problem solving, and cultural identification towards increased national autonomy. On the importance of education reform, it urges a new education model appropriate to Africa's cultural and development potentialities, shifting from mechanized controls toward freeing education.