New Directions

Volume 5 | Issue 4 Article 8

7-1-1978

Educating the Masses: The Guinea-BissauApproachShirley Washington

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Recommended CitationWashington, Shirley (1978) "Educating the Masses: The Guinea-Bissau Approach," New Directions: Vol. 5: Iss. 4, Article 8.Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol5/iss4/8

EducatingtheMasses

34

The Guinea-BissauApproach

By Shirley Washington

The Apri I 1975 issue of New Direction:published an extensive essay by Dr. Su-layman Nyang on the political thoughts •the late Amilcar Cabral. In the essay, DLNyang (then a faculty member at HowaroUniversity) reviewed some of the more.salient features of Cabral's philosophy,which included his theories of colonial-ism, the armed struggle, and national lib-eration. The thread which connected theexposition of these theories was the cul-tural assertion of the people of Guinea-Bissau as a means to liberating them-selves from Portuguese colonialism. Thecultural resistance and resilience of thepeople were critical factors in the thinkingof Cabral.

Keeping in mind the earlier work of Dr.Nyang, this essay will attempt to explorethe educational process in independentGuinea-Bissau and how this process isadhering to the philosophy of Cabral.Also, it will seek to draw lessons from theGuinean educational experiences forBlack Americans in the struggle to savethe children from the educational malaisewhich prevails in American schools.

The former African colonies of Portugalwere for several years engaged in anarmed struggle for national liberation,which eventually brought about the col-lapse of the fascist regime in Lisbon inApril, 1974. Now free, all of the former col-

-;::-:)GRAPH BY STEPHANIEURDANG

are governed by the revolutionaryrs who led the armed strugg Ie

-_ inst the Portuguese.~ e Partido Africano da Independencia

.uz: uine e Cabo Verde (PAIGC)was con-~ ed (by the Organization of African

:- ) to be the most successful liberation~ ment in Portuguese-speaking Africa

emobilization of its people during thearmed struggle. Led by the PAIGC,

-=> people fought for more than 15 years- 359-1974) for thei r freedom. In Septem-

1973, with two-thirds of their territoryated, the people of Guinea-Bissau

= ted their first popular national assern-- • which declared the nation's inde-- ence without the consent of Portugal.- ear later, it became the first of the for-~ colonies of Portugal to have its inde--;ldence formally recognized by Lisbon

by other Western nations, followingactions of the more than 80 nationshad already given recognition.

Influence of Cabral

leading theoretician behind the Gui--;san revolution was Cabral, one of 14 Afri-~ s from his country fortunate enough to

in university education in 500 years_-Portuguese colonialism. An agronomist_ training, Cabral was famous for his= illiant intellect and his strong adminis-::a ive and persuasive skills. The party

ich he led had an inner core of men anden who were ded icated not onIyto the

_ ining of independence but to the trans-ation of society whose character

would be egalitarian and non-exploitative.The philosophy of the revolution is be-

ing transmitted to the young through ahighly innovative system of education,which was inspired by Cabral. This sys-tem performs a critical role in the processof popular mobilization and the transmis-sion of culture. As the principal initiator ofthe system of education in Guinea-Bissau,Cabral had called for the elimination ofelitism in education by combining classwork with agricultural work. There was tobe more political content in both the class-rooms and the textbooks. There was to beno corporal punishment or any other dom-ination over children which would inhibitthe development of their personalities.

The PAIGC program, much of whichwas written by Cabral, had a number ofprovisions in it concerning education.There was to be eventual free and obliga-tory education. All teaching centers andtechnical institutions were to be nationalproperty and controlled by the state.Therewas to be a general reform of teachingmethods, and the further development ofsecondary and technical education.

The provision of social services for thepopulation of Guinea-Bissau by the Portu-guese, including educational opportuni-ties, was negligible. In fact, it was theinternational condemnation of Portugal'scolonial practices, notably at the UnitedNations, that brought about the abolitionof what was then known as the "NativeStatutes" in 1961. Until then, no native

35

child was allowed to attend a state school.Therefore, basic education for Africanchildren was provided by private mission-ary schools.

According to PAIGCsources, there wereonly 43 private primary schools open toabout 800 students in 1962 in the areasunder Portuguese control. Though the of-ficial colonial figures were much higher,the figures still reflected tremendous ne-glect. The secondary educational situa-tion was even more serious since the Por-tuguese did not open a high school until1958, and even then most of the studentswere children of the assimilados- a cate-gory of Africans who have acquired Portu-guese citizenship by successfully adapt-ing the culture, language and religion ofPortugal.

During the armed struggle, the situationin the liberated zones was in sharp con-trast to those areas under Portuguese con-trol. The PAIGC, from 1969 through 1970,operated 157vi Ilage schools with approx-imately 6,500 boys and 2,000 girls, andabout 250 teachers.

In most of the literature available on thearmed struggle in Guinea-Bissau, there issome mention of the schools, which nowserve as the backbone of the educationalsystem in the country. Lars Rudebeck, asocial science observer, in his book,Guinea-Bissau: A Study of Political Mobil-ization, describes the schools as "simpleand functional" in construction, "easy tomove" and climatically well-suited to the

36

surroundings. Such schools usually had"only a roof covered with straw or palmleaves over rows of benches made frombranches of rough boards. A blackboardbehind the teacher's desk is attached toone of the poles holding the roof." Thisgenerally understated appearance wasboth practical and a part of the strategyused to protect the ch iIdren from Portu-guese aerial attacks.

These attacks were a constant menaceto the children. Still, leaming did takeplace. Ironically, the atmosphere actuallyprovided for the encouragement of learn-ing as a pol itical act of self-defense in astruggle with a vicious enemy.

The children of Guinea-Bissau lackedmany things that Americans consider es-sential yet learning took place. But how?The answer seems to lie in the motivationof both the teachers and the students toovercome all obstacles. More importantly,the system of education was not only sup-portive of the learning process but theexpectation level was high. These factorsappearto be absent in many of the schoolsin the United States.

Objectives and Philosophyof Education

Work is underway to complete reform ofinstruction, both in form and content, toconform to the ideals of the PAIGC.Thisincludes instructing the masses in ways toput at their disposal scientific and techni-cal knowledqe.,

Mario Cabral, the state commissar ofNational Education (no relation to AmilcarCabral), observed that education in colo-nial Guinea was to create mediocre inter-mediaries to serve the interests of imperi-alism, economic and social domination.

The PAIGC schools during the strugglefor independence made a number ofchanges to combat the bad effects of thecolonial educational system. In historyclasses, for instance, Portugal was deem-phasized. Instead, students were taughtthe historical development of nations: whysome advanced and others did not. Theemphasis was on politics, bearing in mindthat the people were actively involved in awar of liberation. Since independence,however, the emphasis has been on orga-nization, teacher-student relation, and theenvironment. Mario Cabral noted thatthere was no intention on the part of thegovernment to educate young people togo through the usual bourgeois trainingfor the purpose of exploiting the masses.Students in the secondary school systemare now being educated to serve the coun-try bygoing into the countryside and livingwith the people and teaching them. Thestudents also participate in agriculturalwork.

Mario Cabral perceives education asbeing an integral part of the society's de-velopment and the solution to its prob-lems. He sees the schools as laboratoriesand greenhouses; the students as plantswho are prepared and planted in society

to help transform it for the better. Societalso influences the schools, sometimesadversely. Hence the need for progressi ~men and women as educators. He vie ~education as a tool for the making of the"new man." And that the "imperatives 'progress and instruction constitute. thebest ways to attain the efficient formationof the 'new man,' dreamed of and de--signed by our immortal leader, AmilcarCabral. Man with his political conscience.Man in the meaning of life. Man witl::ihiscreative capacities. Man in his social lifein view of history."

The Contradictions

Twomethods of education exist in Guinea-Bissau at the present time. The firstis stu-dent-teacher participation in reciprocallearning, which grew out of the armedstruggle. Its prime objective is the dev~l-opment of the nation. The second is theauthoritarian system inherited from thecolonialists. It is the objective of the edu-cational establishment of Guinea-Bissaufor the second method to be completelyabsorbed by the first. This was initiated assoon as the PAIGC government took over .the areas that had remained under Portu-guese administration before independ-ence.

Inthe urban areas where the PAIGChadnot been able to operate openly duringthe armed struggle, there were many prob-lems in education left by the departingcolonialists. The children and teachers

re in the primary and secondaryin the cities were oriented towardguese system. Noting the prob-

- dualism in the educational transi-e. loreiqn visitor (George Houser of

- erican Committee on Africa) pon-e matter. "How do you reeducate

mo have been in a different culture,nt civilization, and a different ed-

al system for so many years toem feel a part of what the PAIGCto create in the country?" This is

-.::r~r'C' the new system's biggest chal-

--32. hers who are drawn from the towns

difficulty in adjusting to schoolsare managed democratically byts and teachers. This concept ofive responsibility is quite unset-

_ or many teachers who were trainedstandards of Portuguese culture,

Pau I Fauvet in African Development,1976.

--" idea of the collective versus the in-:l al permeates the new system of ed-

. Mario Cabral explained that thewas the mirror opposite of the co-

system in terms of values. For in-, the new educational policy

;ght about the introduction of collec-grading and collective diploma in

contrast to the colonial system,stressed individual achievement in

es. This concept has mostly been ap-to students in the rural areas. How-

• even in the urban schools, which

have not as yet begun grading collectivelyin such subjects as science, studentswork in small groups where the contribu-tion to the group is more important thanindividual success. Some subjects suchas mathematics and science are still be-ing graded individually until ways can bedevised to grade a group.

The new educational system puts Guin-ea-Bissau in the center of the learningexperience. Such universal subjects asscience and mathematics are selectivelyretained while rejecting some of the moreWestern-oriented subjects, for example,European literature. While attempting toregain their own culture and minimizeWestern culture, Guineans desire tostrengthen scientific knowledge, and ac-cording to Mario Cabral, "giving priorityto the exact sciences and experimenta-tion." The problem, however, is the needfor Guineans to exercise critical discern-ment in their selection process. Cabralagrees that there are certain subjectswhich are associated with Western culturethat are necessary for progress.

The whole matter of cultural identity andlanguage in the new educational systemof Guinea-Bissau is full of challenges.Mario de Andrade, an Angolan man of let-ters, who has been involved in the Guin-ean revolution for some time, noted thegeneral perception of culture. "We under-stand culture as an extension of the strug-gle which is the first modern cultural man-ifestation in this country."

37

During the struggle, the matter of usingthe Creole language as the nationaltongue in instruction was debated. ThePAIGC decided to retain Portuguese asthe national language because of themany unwritten African languages inGuinea-Bissau. Creole, which is widelyspoken in the country, is a combination ofthe various African dialects and some-what archaic Portuguese.

The dilemma for the educational systemin Guinea-Bissau is the inheritance of Por-tuguese as the national language while itis Creole, in many instances, that the stu-dents speak. The textbooks are printed inPortuguese, with the incorporation of Cre-ole words which have meaning to theaverage Guinean. There are plans in thefuture to put Creole into a written form. Inthe meantime, both languages are used inthe schools when. students exhibit diffi-culty with Portuguese. While the discus-sions in the classroom may be in Creole,all written material is usually in Portu-guese.

These are but a few of the contrad ictionsand dilemmas of the new educational sys-tem of Guinea-Bissau as the country goesthrough a transition from the Portuguesecolonial system to an egalitarian system.

Institutions of Learning

Inside the administrative structure of theComm issariat of National Education, thereis a unit called the Friendship Institute,which administers foreign assistance to

38

Guinea-Bissau's educational institutions.This institute grew out of the armed strug-g Ie and was formed in 1965 with head-quarters in Conakry, the Republic ofGuinea.

Since the end of the armed struggle,and with the present stage of national re-construction, the Friendship Institute wasmade a unit of the Education Commissar-iat, with the responsibility to establishinternatos (boarding schools) in every re-g ion of the country.

The internatos are one of the most in-novative institutions created by the PAIGCin the field of education. More than 2,000children are now being educated in theseinstitutions throughout the country. Theirpurpose is to serve "the children of themartyrs and the fighting men of Guineaand Cape Verde." ButAmilcarCabral hadperceived of the internatos as an institu-tion in which to mold new habits in thegeneral populace and particularly "toraise the level of work" of the people. Hedisfavored transforming them into anasylum for children left without parents.However, the internatos have taken onsome asylum characteristics, since a cri-teria for acceptance into these specialschools is that the children be off-springof martyrs or former guerrillas.

Teachers and the students cooperate inthe management of the internatos in ademocratic manner. All are co-educa-tional, dedicated to fostering the spirit ofcollective responsibility and service to

the people. Life in the internato involves"not only formal studies, but also activeparticipation, through an elected studentcommittee, in the direction of the school,"wrote Lars Rudebeck in Guinea-Bissau.There is "student responsibility for shar-ing maintenance and agricultural workand for assisting in the kitchen.

All of the internatos are impressiveschools, but the most advanced of themis the Escola Piloto or the Pilot School,which opened in 1964. The school's cur-riculum terminates one grade higher thanthe other internatos. It also offers specialclasses for teachers in the interior duringthe summer vacation. Students are chosenon the basis of competitive examinations,and most of the graduates go on to sec-ondary school or abroad for further study.

For those young people not fortunateenough to get into the Escola Piloto orthein terna tos , the government provides alter-native educational opportunities, such asvocational training. Forexample, a Profes-sional Training Center was opened in No-vember 1976. Trainees enroll, after com-pleting primary school, for a three-yearcourse consisting of practical training andtheoretical stud ies. The students share theplanning of the daily programs.

Adult EducationGuinea-Bissau is not only concerned withthe education of its children but also itslargely illiterate adult population. A gooddeal of effort is being exerted on their be-

half, and several adult schools have boo-opened since independence, to teachonly basic skills in literacy but alsonew political and social ethos of the pamThese institutions are also designedstem the tide of rural exodus to the citiesby making adult education available -the rural areas.

There is a critical and chronic snortaqsof teachers in the country. Several soltions to this problem are now being im-plemented. A short-term solution is theconcept of pedagogic seminars. Most pri-mary school teachers have a limited edu-cation, but since 1975, the EducatiooCommissariat has secured more teachersby accelerated three-year programs 'teachers teaching each other. Fortunately,there is now a long-term solutionavailablewith the openingof a teacher's college in1977 - the nation's first post-secondaryinstitution.

Another short-term solution involvesoverseas training for post-secondary·stud-ies. Approximately 600 students havegone abroad as of May 1977.

The Literacy CampaignAmi Icar Cabral was resolute on the matter,of universal literacy after the war ended."After independence, everyone will haveto read and write: we cannot have the peo-ple tricked by the printed page," ex-plained Cabral in Armed Struggle in Af-rica, by Gerard Chaliand. The matter ofilliteracy preoccupies Guinea-Bissau, be-

--

____=-..- is regarded as a great impedi-the struggle for development.

th.eestablishment of the NationalCommission, the organ respon-= for eradicating illiteracy in the

~ _One of the goals of jhe PAIGC,- lained by Secretary General Aris-

Pereira, is 'to have all militantsa.certain level in order "to interpret

lution that our own society isundergoing,"literacy campaign has been sue-

- - l. By mid-1975, it was 65% dueto the efforts of the youth wing of

GC, The most success thus far hasamong the soldiers. During theIe, the fighters received basic liter-

~ ills, along with political training.perhaps helped their understanding

- national realities while raising theireveI of knowledge, Now the military

• according to Mario Cabral, more- 80% of its members on active duty_ erate.- eurban centers, a campaign is cur-

underway to eradicate illiteracythe workers of the state-operated

e's Stores, The main purpose is to- e worker productivity through per-

development so that the worker willa meaningful contribution to the re-

ction of Guinea-Bissau--,ore is a sense of immediacy about

tion in its applicability to the newments in society, There is no at-to divorce education from the ob-

jective conditions of the nation, The IvoryTower approach to education is systemat-ically assailed, and for the most part, ef-fectively el irninated.

The practicality of the Guinean ap-proach to education manifests itself in thegarden that almost always is adjacent toany school building, The garden is keptas part of the effort not to divorce produc-tion from mental endeavors, In otherwords, education is seen as a whole proc-ess in which there is both mental andmanual aspects to it. The idea is to struc-ture education in a way that more accu-rately mirrors life in Guinea-Bissau.

The theory behind these endeavors isthe elimination or reduction of elitism withits emphasis on dividing society into theprivileged few and the less fortunate insociety. Elitism is a particularly trouble-some feature whose elimination is consid-ered desirable in an egalitarian society,

In Guinea-Bissau, education is deliber-ately given an .unusually high politicalcontent in order to bring about the desiredchanges in society, The environment ofeducation is calculated to change themanner in which human beings relate toeach other, In the internatos, for example,the children are trained in an atmospherealmost in isolation from extemal factors inorder to more readily absorb the newvalues,

The education is geared to the develop-ment of society and the acquisition ofskills in order to contribute to that society.

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The old traditional African philosophynever made a sharp distinction betweentheory and practice. There is a fusion ofthe idea of cooperation in a social visionembracing socialist-oriented society withthe older African tradition of ideas andpractice about the group within the per-spective of modernity and beyond tribalgroupings.

In about four years, the Guineans havedone remarkably well in accelerating adeclining illiteracy rate.

Amilcar Cabral's dictum to learn frombooks, to learn from life, but always learn,is val id here. It is in stark contrast to theprevailing sentiment among many BlackAmerican students to learn in order to geta job. Indeed, this is important, but thereis an intrinsic value to learning as a politi-cal act of self-defense.

The leaders of Guinea-Bissau offer amodel in this respect through their delib-erate and consistent efforts to develop aneducational system which stresses non-elitism, egalitarianism and service to thepeople. The probable outcome of such ef-forts is the Iiberation and reconstruction ofthe nation as a whole for the benefit ofeveryone. 0

Shirley Washington received the Ph.D. degree inpolitical science from Howard University in May. Shespent some time in Guinea-Bissau in connectionwith gathering material for her doctoral dissertation,"Some Aspects of Post-war Reconstruction inGuinea-Bissau. "