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Author: TALING T. RODRIGUE from Cameroon，PhD, Lecturer, Research Fellow, Vice Director of the Center for Francophones Studies, Secretary General of Center for African Film & TV, Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University. Founder of the China-Cameroon Linguistic & Cultural Center
Email: rodriguetaling@outlook.com
Introduction
International cooperation between nations enhances ties of friendship and paves ways for sustainable development. China-Africa Cooperation on Education has always been part of the China-Africa Cooperation Agenda through platform such as FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation), or major initiatives such as BRI (Belt and Road Initiave), as well as various development projects between China and African countries at a bilateral or multilateral level. Education as a process of facilitating the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, habits and most importantly acquiring the technological know-how is essential for African countries to be able to achieve high levels of economic growth. Science and Technology Education (STE) as the process of learning by doing, as an innovative way of making learning a practical process that connects to real life through application of science and technology, should be at the frontline of China-Africa Cooperation Agenda. History tells us that the China-Africa Cooperation on Education has been a successful story, for it has brought countless benefits to both sides. However, new highs can be reached with regards to the Science and Technology Education (STE) where many African countries still lag behind.
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STE is a Human Right
The first <World Science Day for Peace and Development> was celebrated worldwide on November 10, 2002, under UNESCO auspices to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. That day highlights the significant role of science in our daily lives and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. In this 21st century where Science and Technology have become essentials tools of development and main drivers of human evolution, STE has come to be a human right as clearly stated in the 2018 theme of the <World Science Day for Peace and Development> that was: “Science, a Human Right”, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 27), and of the <Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Research>. Recalling that everyone has a right to Education and the right to participate in and benefit from science. This was an anticipation to the 2020 global pandemic of COVID-19 that has threatened the human existence and reinforce the idea that our survival is heavily dependent on scientific and technological development. In fact, During the COVID-19 pandemic, a collaborative relationship between scientists and scientific research including potential vaccines must be shared universally for the sake of human kind. It has been seen that COVID-19 response demands efficient use of science and technology. Therefore the 2020 <World Science Day for Peace and Development> theme “Science for and with Society” was set as a response from UNESCO, to deal with the global pandemic. More specifically, UNESCO’s response to COVID-19 from the science perspective is structured around three major pillars: (a) promoting international scientific cooperation, (b) ensuring access to water, (c) supporting ecological reconstruction. These major pillars have also served as guideline for the China-Africa cooperation under COVID-19. On the extraordinary session of China-Africa cooperation under covid-19, the Chinese president Xi Jinping addressed a very comprehensive and concise speech on China-Africa Cooperation and solidarity to the world community under the witness eyes of several African head of States and governments, and other world personalities such as its Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, its Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, its Excellency Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. Very respectfully, president Xi highlighted some important point of the cooperation that need not to be neglected such as education, research and innovation. This was followed by the 4 main pledges among other made by the Chinese leader : “ (1) The construction of the Africa CDC headquarters, (2) African countries being among the first beneficial of China’s made vaccine against covid-19 once ready, (3) Great financial support and debt canceling under the framework of Belt and Road initiative (BRI) for African countries hardly hit by the virus, (4) Uphold the UN-centered global governance system and support WHO in making greater contribution to the global COVID-19 response, oppose politicization and stigmatization of COVID-19, oppose racial discrimination and ideological bias.”
This is so far a great achievement of the China-Africa Cooperation, but it is worth noticing that Africa’s response to the pandemic has been very weak for its crucial lack of scientists and medical personnel, added to its very weak and inefficient healthcare system. Basically, everything is to be built from scratch, starting from the most basic level of STE.
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STE Can Unlock Africa’s Potential
Concerns have been raised by prominent institutions on Africa’s inability to fill most science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs within industries. The shortage of such workforce is linked to classroom teaching and learning practices that are pre-dominantly geared towards passing examinations, and not towards applying knowledge acquired to solve real life problems affecting societies. The stronghold of colonial legacy in formal education of African countries is to be blame as well. For, some African countries since their independence still remain heavily dependent on their former colonizers’ education programs, and so missing the opportunity to shape and design their own teaching programs so as to meet their primary needs of basic infrastructures development and industrialization crucial to build and sustain any strong economy. Moreover, technological transfer between some colonized African countries and their former colonizers have not been effective, deepening the dependence and further exploitation of African countries. It suffices as example to examine the case of sub-Saharan francophone African countries that still remain the poorest African countries on the continent. Formerly colonized by France, most of these countries still maintain with their former colonizers some cooperation accords dating from the time of decolonization as noticed the scholar Tony Chafer in an article entitled “Chirac and ‘la Françafrique’: No Longer a Family Affair” (Modern & Contemporary France. 2005, 13: 7–23) in which he asserted that, “Since political independence (of African countries), France has maintained a privileged sphere of influence—the so-called ‘pré-carré’—in sub-Saharan Africa, based on a series of family-like ties with its former colonies.” These “family-like” paternalist ties have created a heavy dependency of African countries vis-à-vis of their former colonizers and exposed them to further exploitation today known as neocolonialism. It is worth noticing that, African countries themselves should work hard to break down that vicious circle and set up new reforms and cooperation that prioritized STE, so that to train new talents suitable for its own development needs. The responsibility here is for African leaders to show more political will and determination to end up dependency, defends their national sovereignties and vow for more partnership at a multilateral level with rising powers such as the BRICS countries.
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China’s Successful Story of Education Reform Could Inspire African Countries
Despite of being a developing country itself, China has successfully set up the right policies, built up the necessary institutions and trained talents necessary to its own development in all sectors, and today competing with technological advanced countries such as the United States of America, Japan and Germany in fields such as Automatic Intelligence, 5G technology, etc. This has been made possible thanks to the education reforms and the political determination of Chinese leadership. In the meantime, China has been working hard to lift up other developing countries with a very different approach in its foreign policy compare to that of the traditional western “Donors”. China’s education aid includes higher education, vocational training, Chinese language training, school construction, and collaboration with multilateral organizations. In recent years, China’s university scholarships and vocational training programs have grown sharply, as has the teaching of Chinese-language and culture . Moreover, China non-interference policy, request driven aid, no-string attach aid and respect of national sovereignty of recipient countries have made China a very attractive partner for African countries. China successful story is a great source of inspirations for African countries and China’s experience is very precious for the striving developing countries of Africa.
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Critics of the China-Africa Education Cooperation
