In this brief commentary, I reflect on what seems to have been a bane of progress in post-colonial African countries: the tension between individual and national (state) aspirations. Here, national aspirations are seen as the vision of the elite, perhaps even narrower, the political elite, of a country about the expected future of the country. …
Still on donkey years’ pedagogy
Two stories I recently learnt about strengthened my belief that while there is a need to change how we teach and learn, simply doing so would not necessarily improve educational outcomes for youth. There are deeper-seated problems that are equally bedeviling our educational system and which also need to be addressed. The first story involved …
Thinking through the interface between technology, pedagogy and donkey years’ approaches
In my last post, I wrote about the need for innovation in our approach to teaching and learning including supporting students to develop critical thinking skills. One of the things I alluded to in that post was the relevance of new technologies in teaching and learning. Upon further reflection, I realised that I may be falling into the …
On Donkey years’ pedagogy and innovation in higher education teaching
Several months ago, I spoke to a group of young entrepreneurs based in Port Harcourt, in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. The summary of my message was that they need to 'think beyond the box'. I deliberately used the word ‘beyond’ because I believe that the box - the status quo, as a reference point could potentially constitute a barrier to …
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Building a truly global movement: What can the youth learn from women?
For a long time, I have wondered what characteristics of the women’s movement makes it unique and its agenda resonate more widely than that of the youth. I’m not suggesting that the youth movement does not have wide appeal, but unlike the women’s movement, global recognition of youth is usually premised on risk and vulnerability. …
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