Mali's education system has been criticized for perpetuating alienation among students. According to Job Diarra, a philosophy doctorate and specialist in the works of young Marx, the current education system, inherited from colonial times, has failed to adapt to the country's needs. Students spend 9 to 15 years learning in a foreign language, studying a history that does not relate to their ancestors, and focusing on a geography that centers on Paris.
The concept of alienation, as described by Marx in his 1844 manuscripts, refers to a situation where individuals become disconnected from their work and its products. In Mali's education system, students learn to disrespect themselves and their culture. They leave school without acquiring practical skills, such as farming or counting in their native language, but instead focus on acquiring a visa to the West.
Louis Althusser's theory of ideological state apparatuses also sheds light on Mali's education system. According to Althusser, the school is the primary apparatus of capitalism, designed to reproduce submission. In Mali, the education system remains the last stronghold of the neocolonial system, producing consumers of diplomas rather than competent individuals.
The consequences of this system are far-reaching. Students graduate without skills that could help them transform their communities. Instead, they are conditioned to seek employment in air-conditioned offices of NGOs or wait for a competitive exam. This has led to widespread unemployment among graduates and a brain drain.
To address this issue, Diarra proposes a radical transformation of the education system. This involves a linguistic rupture, where teaching is conducted in local languages, and French is taught as a foreign language. A productive rupture is also necessary, where schools have practical workshops, gardens, and fields, enabling students to see the fruits of their labor.
A change in the purpose of education is also required. Rather than focusing on acquiring diplomas to leave the country, students should be taught to acquire skills that can help transform their communities. This approach would enable Mali to build a more self-sufficient and confident society.
The Alliance des Etats du Sahel (AES) has made significant progress in asserting its independence, but a revolution in the education sector is still needed. Without this transformation, Mali and the AES risk perpetuating a system that produces individuals who do not believe in their own potential for self-determination.
Key points
- Mali's education system perpetuates alienation among students, disconnecting them from their culture, language, and future.
- The system produces consumers of diplomas rather than competent individuals, leading to widespread unemployment and brain drain.
- A radical transformation of the education system is proposed, involving linguistic, productive, and purposeful ruptures.
