school staff with students

In most discussions about post-colonial Africa there is a kind of Godwin Law to end each discussion: "education is the solution." Where there is a universal, accessible, good schooling system you will see that poverty, crime, teen pregnancy, AIDS, large families, superstitions and all that decrease. Just look at countries who do well today, but were poor a few decades ago.

Unfortunately, the governments of African countries are usually too corrupt and generally incapable to achieve this. Actually, the 'nations' are a problem already, as they are not 'natural', but unfortunate designs from us, colonisators, in the past.

How to educate the African population? If you organise it through NGOs or with government aid the funds do not end up there where you want them.

The best way to control exactly what happens is to go there in person. It is already happening, individuals go there to set up a school or something. They have an enrichening experience, although they remember it like a drop of water on a hot plate.

Now, make this obligatory for each western student before they are admitted to university. They go there to set up and run a school, but it is important they do not teach themselves. That is something locals should do. By hiring locals as teachers you also prevent a 'brain drain' to the west. They can actually earn a living in their own community like that. They receive their wages on a daily basis (that is how it works there), not grab the money and run.

The western students are there only to facilitate as: school bus drivers, school carpenters, secretary, supervisor, accountant, warden, cook, doorman, librarian, sysop and so on. In close cooperation with the locals when possible.

With their twenty-plus years of experience in the western world they can convert this into practise in a culture where everyone is just trying to survive from day to day. Which is exactly what makes it difficult to run a school because the locals want to steal everything of value to feed their families. The students do not have to 'survive' and can offer a 'corruption free' environment where children learn the basic skills.

It should be done by students because they have the energy to put up with the difficult situations, they need to be awarded responsabilities as part of their education, they usually have no families yet to support themselves, they are not motivated by altruistic or evangelical motives, they just want to learn to achieve the set goals, so they can continue learning. They are also more likely to approach things in a pragmatic, managerial style in contrast with soft hippie-type idealists. The locals will treat them as adults at that age, while back home they usually are treated as children as long as possible by over-protective parents and marketeers. It will be also good for their health to be away from fast and convenience food for a few months.

They go to programs selected and organised by the university of their choice. They meet other students who intent to go to the same university (which takes away the need for fraternities and so on). When they arrive, they receive a quick training of a few weeks by their predecessor. The written equivalent of it is their 'exam'.

(is there a better category for this?)