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6 - The African Record Is Unique

The Decline of Public Schooling and the Rise of Neoliberalism (1966–1981)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2026

Elisa Prosperetti
Affiliation:
National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
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Summary

This chapter examines the mounting unease regarding the project of public education. By the mid-1960s, technocratic, Afrocentric, and Marxist critiques articulated a growing sense of worldwide educational crisis. These critiques presented differently in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, but in both countries popular frustrations were palpable. In response, both states attempted to reform public schooling: by introducing manual training in Ghanaian middle schools and television sets in Ivorian primary schools. Both reforms failed spectacularly, ultimately confirming the state’s abdication of its promise that education would lead to a better future for all. Public education systems crumbled along with public faith in the state, creating space for the privatization of education. The erosion of the anticolonial development ideology helped pave the way for neoliberalism to take root.

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  • The African Record Is Unique
  • Elisa Prosperetti, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
  • Book: An Anticolonial Development
  • Online publication: 06 May 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009618601.007
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  • The African Record Is Unique
  • Elisa Prosperetti, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
  • Book: An Anticolonial Development
  • Online publication: 06 May 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009618601.007
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The African Record Is Unique
  • Elisa Prosperetti, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
  • Book: An Anticolonial Development
  • Online publication: 06 May 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009618601.007
Available formats
×