Michael omolewa's advocacy of widening access to education

Abstract

For us the thought of writing on Michael Omolewa's advocacy of the widening of access to education is thrilling, and for obvious reasons. First, his notion of education has always revolved around a conception that goes beyond the much discussed proposals concerning lifelong learning. His position on this seems to stem from the final passage rites in Yoruba culture, where the dead person is told: Majokunrun majekolo, ohun ti won ba nje lajule orun ni ki o maa ba won je (meaning: The dead [person] is advised not to eat worms or millipedes, but only whatever people eat in the life beyond). The Yorubas believe strongly that there is a life beyond the present one for every dead person. Second, over the years Michael Omolewa's theoretical and practical contributions to adult education and its component fields have focused on the possibility of everyone's gaining access to some sort of "schooling." Third, his sometimes unconventional approach to planning, implementing, and evaluating various forms of educational interventions, which for many has been a starting point for discussions about his achievements, is worthy of being documented and replicated. Fourth, borne by his linguistic abilities, Michael Omolewa's initiatives within national and across international borders draw on strategies that can be applied elsewhere. Fifth, his impact on the lives of ordinary people, on whose behalf he consistently champions life-oriented mass education initiatives, is reflected in numerous anecdotes, which should be passed on to future generations. Michael Abiola Omolewa was born in Ipoti Ekiti, in the former Western region of Nigeria. He grew up at a time when Nigerians were starting to agitate for "improved facilities for higher education and opportunities for employment in the colonial service" and subsequently for decolonization and independence (Ade-Ajayi, 2002). He later attended Ibadan Grammar School, and Ekiti Parapo College and Christ School, Ado Ekiti, for his secondary education. He obtained distinctions in the Cambridge Higher School Certificate Examinations and the London University General Certificate of Education A-Level Examination. It was during this period that Nigeria gained its independence from Great Britain and became a republic. In 1955 the country also witnessed Chief Obafemi Awolowo's introduction of free primary education in what was still the country's Western region and produced some of its first graduates during the same period. Omolewa's attraction to history and historiography developed early, while he was attending Nigeria's premier University of Ibadan and studying African history from 1964 to 1967, and later European history. Striving for excellence, he obtained the best final grade in the Department of History, and won both the departmental prize and the Faculty of Arts Sir James Robertson Prize. By 1973 he had obtained his Ph.D. in the history of administration. During his university studies he was an exchange scholar at the Queen Mary College of the University of London. He also spent time at the Institute of Historical Studies in London, where he sharpened his skills in historiography and historical research. He became quickly attracted to applying his keen interest in historiography to the field of education, and then specifically adult education, at a time when few scholars attempted to document historical events in the disciplines. His entry into the historiography of education and adult education was particularly fruitful in that it provided him with insights into scholarship and educational access. For brief periods between 1965 and 1968 he attended a range of language proficiency courses in French and German, in Dakar, Lyon, and at the Goethe Institute in Munich. These various experiences and achievements, as well as his own humble beginnings, were later to play a major role in shaping his thoughts, propelling his ideas, and invigorating his push for widening access in educational provision. It should be noted that Michael Omolewa was the first African graduate of History to become a Professor of Adult Education, and he was the first recipient of the Roby Kidd Special Citation for distinguished service in adult education. In addition to being the first Nigerian professor to serve as Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, he was the first West African to be elected President of the General Conference of UNESCO. Against this backdrop, our aim in what follows is to examine Michael Omolewa's role in widening access to education. To give a clear picture of the man and his achievements, we have made use as much as possible of eyewitness accounts, investigations, and other historical records. Likewise, we attempt to provide eyewitness accounts of some of Omolewa's advocacy roles. Reflection on what he has written, said, and done will also enable us to present these roles more systematically to the reader. We shall comment on his views on issues relating to access in education and adult education. We shall also highlight the major initiatives of which he has been a part, in Nigeria and internationally, and comment on his strategies, including the use of partnership building and clientele participation. We shall direct the reader's attention to specific ideas that hold great promise for replication in other climes and contexts even as we comment on the context from which his ideas grew. And, finally, we shall appraise some of his major ideas as reflected in a number of books and primers he has written personally or in collaboration with others. © 2006 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.