Welfare and Education in British Colonial Africa, 1918–1945

Abstract The current discussions about the decolonization of education and its relationship to issues of development raise important questions about the nature of colonial education and require us to avoid the reification of such notions if we are to gain an ample understanding of their meaning. It is important therefore to understand the complexities of educational discourse, policy and practices in colonial contexts, and how they were transferred to the “development debates” of the post-colonial era. The key theme that runs through all of these policy issues is the complexity of the issues involved and the need for a nuanced understanding of the ambiguities of educational theory and practice in an era of unprecedented radical political, social and economic change globally on the African and South African context.