7 - The British Model, ‘Africanization’ of the Curriculum and Other Issues: The Influence of Professor D. W. Ewer (1913-2009) on University Teaching in Ghana and on Biological Education in Africa
Corresponding Author(s) : Richard Alan Baker
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 11 No. 1-2 (2013): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Abstract
Dennis William Ewer was Professor of Zoology during the formative years of tertiary education in Ghana and served as a distinguished academic in three African universities. In Ghana, he made an outstanding contribution to tropical biology and biology education. This historical account of one man’s attempt to improve the teaching of biology to African students is noteworthy for several reasons. He was an enormous influence for change in how and what biology was taught at both secondary and tertiary levels. Anxious for radical change and to break the mould of the Oxbridge tradition, he worked tirelessly to put an end to the British system of teaching biology and alter the course material to make it relevant in an African context. He believed that the transplantation of the British model was inappropriate for Africa. He emphasized the need and importance of training technicians and placed teaching before research in his priorities. In terms of the curriculum, ecology should, in his view, be the central integrating theme in Africa with a preferred slant towards applied biology rather than the pure science courses of the developed world. Ewer was also a prime mover for change at the secondary school level, helping to improve the biology syllabus, editing textbooks, and providing teacher’s guides. He was critical of the then current school teaching in biology because it bred passive students with bad work habits and believed there was a need to challenge students intellectually, both at school and university. This led him to clamour for new approaches in both secondary and higher education.
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- Ashby, E., 1964, African Universities and Western Tradition, The Godkin lectures at Harvard University 1964, 1–113, Oxford University Press, London.
- Baker, R.A., 2003, Samuel John Kenneth Baker 1907–1992, Geographers Biobibliographical Studies. 22, 1–11. Continuum, London and New York. http://web.univ-pau.fr/RECHERCHE/UGIHG/03_Actualites/docs_actualites/ GBS_Text.pdf
- Bassindale, R., 1961, On the Marine Fauna of Ghana, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 137(4): 481-510.
- Ewer, D.W., 1968, Science Education in the Universities, Ghana Journal of Science 8(3/4): 83-86.
- Ewer, D.W., 1969, A-level Biology in West Africa: A New Syllabus, Journal of Biological Education, 3: 271-282.
- Ewer, D.W., 1970, Zoology: Should it Exist? Inaugural lecture delivered on 6th November 1969 at the University of Ghana, Ghana Universities Press, Accra.
- Ewer, D.W., 1974, ‘Length, Breadth and Depth: Reflections on the “Ecological Approach”’, Journal of Biological Education 8(3): 145-152.
- Ewer, D.W., 1980, ‘Letters to the Editor – Relevant Ecology’, Journal of Biological Education 14:191-192.
- Ewer, D.W., 1982, ‘The Development of Higher Education in Africa during the Period of Decolonisation.
- A Study of the Expansion of University Education in Selected African Countries’, University of Oxford Development Records Project. MSS. Afr.s. 1825, Unpublished, See Note 1.
- Ewer, D.W., n.d., ‘Journey’s End – Ghana – Legon and Accra’, The University of Ghana.
- Typewritten notes in clip files, Unpublished.
- Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall (eds), 1972, Ecological Biology: for A-level and Intermediate Students in Africa 1: Organisms and their Environments, Longman, London.
- Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall (eds), 1978, Ecological Biology 2. The Inter-relations of organisms, Longman, London.
- Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall, 1980, Ecological Biology: Practical book 2, Longman, London.
- Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall, 1981, Ecological Biology: Teacher’s Guide 2, Longman, London.
- Ewer, D.W., J.B., Hall and G.C., Clark (eds), 1978, Ecological Biology for A-level and Intermediate students in Africa. Longman, London.
- Ewer, D.W., J.B., Hall and J.A., Mitchelmore, 1975a, Ecological Biology: Practical book 1, Longman, London.
- Ewer, D.W., J.B., Hall and J.A., Mitchelmore, 1975b, Ecological Biology: Teachers Guide 1. Longman, London.
- Green, T.L., 1962, ‘Some Important Aspects of Science Teaching at African Universities’, in The Teaching of Sciences in African Universities, Report of the Seminar on the Teaching of Basic Sciences in African Universities, Rabat December 1962:37-46, UNESCO, Paris.
- http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0005/ 000539/053950eo.pdf
- Habte, A. & T., Wagaw, 1993, in A.A. Mazrui and C. Wondji (eds) General History of Africa 8, Africa since 1935: Chapter 22: 699, Heinemann Educational, Oxford.
- Hodgson, A.N., 2009, ‘Biographical Memoir Professor Emeritus Denis William Ewer MBE FRSSAf 1913-2009’, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 64(1): 84-85.
- Hodgson, A.N. and A.J.F.K., Craig, 2005, ‘A Century of Zoology and Entomology at Rhodes University, 1905 to 2005’, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 60(1): 1-18.
- Huxley, J., 1936, Africa View, Chatto & Windus, London.
- Jago, N., 1982, ‘The Development of Higher Education in Africa during the Period of Decolonisation.
- A Study of the Expansion of University Education in Selected African Countries’, University of Oxford Development Records Project. MSS. Afr.s. 1825, Unpublished, See Note 1.
- Peel, J.D.Y., 1984, Social and Cultural Change in M Crowder (ed.) The Cambridge History of Africa 8, from c.1940–c.1975: Chapter 4: 179, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Purchon, R.D., 1968, The Biology of the Mollusca, Pergamon Press, London.
- Thomas, J.D., 1962, ‘University of Ghana. Department of Zoology, Retrospect and Prospect’, Departmental brochure, Unpublished, University of Ghana.
- Williams, C.K., 1962, Achimota: The Early Years 1924-1948, Longman, Accra.
References
Ashby, E., 1964, African Universities and Western Tradition, The Godkin lectures at Harvard University 1964, 1–113, Oxford University Press, London.
Baker, R.A., 2003, Samuel John Kenneth Baker 1907–1992, Geographers Biobibliographical Studies. 22, 1–11. Continuum, London and New York. http://web.univ-pau.fr/RECHERCHE/UGIHG/03_Actualites/docs_actualites/ GBS_Text.pdf
Bassindale, R., 1961, On the Marine Fauna of Ghana, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 137(4): 481-510.
Ewer, D.W., 1968, Science Education in the Universities, Ghana Journal of Science 8(3/4): 83-86.
Ewer, D.W., 1969, A-level Biology in West Africa: A New Syllabus, Journal of Biological Education, 3: 271-282.
Ewer, D.W., 1970, Zoology: Should it Exist? Inaugural lecture delivered on 6th November 1969 at the University of Ghana, Ghana Universities Press, Accra.
Ewer, D.W., 1974, ‘Length, Breadth and Depth: Reflections on the “Ecological Approach”’, Journal of Biological Education 8(3): 145-152.
Ewer, D.W., 1980, ‘Letters to the Editor – Relevant Ecology’, Journal of Biological Education 14:191-192.
Ewer, D.W., 1982, ‘The Development of Higher Education in Africa during the Period of Decolonisation.
A Study of the Expansion of University Education in Selected African Countries’, University of Oxford Development Records Project. MSS. Afr.s. 1825, Unpublished, See Note 1.
Ewer, D.W., n.d., ‘Journey’s End – Ghana – Legon and Accra’, The University of Ghana.
Typewritten notes in clip files, Unpublished.
Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall (eds), 1972, Ecological Biology: for A-level and Intermediate Students in Africa 1: Organisms and their Environments, Longman, London.
Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall (eds), 1978, Ecological Biology 2. The Inter-relations of organisms, Longman, London.
Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall, 1980, Ecological Biology: Practical book 2, Longman, London.
Ewer, D.W. and J.B., Hall, 1981, Ecological Biology: Teacher’s Guide 2, Longman, London.
Ewer, D.W., J.B., Hall and G.C., Clark (eds), 1978, Ecological Biology for A-level and Intermediate students in Africa. Longman, London.
Ewer, D.W., J.B., Hall and J.A., Mitchelmore, 1975a, Ecological Biology: Practical book 1, Longman, London.
Ewer, D.W., J.B., Hall and J.A., Mitchelmore, 1975b, Ecological Biology: Teachers Guide 1. Longman, London.
Green, T.L., 1962, ‘Some Important Aspects of Science Teaching at African Universities’, in The Teaching of Sciences in African Universities, Report of the Seminar on the Teaching of Basic Sciences in African Universities, Rabat December 1962:37-46, UNESCO, Paris.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0005/ 000539/053950eo.pdf
Habte, A. & T., Wagaw, 1993, in A.A. Mazrui and C. Wondji (eds) General History of Africa 8, Africa since 1935: Chapter 22: 699, Heinemann Educational, Oxford.
Hodgson, A.N., 2009, ‘Biographical Memoir Professor Emeritus Denis William Ewer MBE FRSSAf 1913-2009’, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 64(1): 84-85.
Hodgson, A.N. and A.J.F.K., Craig, 2005, ‘A Century of Zoology and Entomology at Rhodes University, 1905 to 2005’, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 60(1): 1-18.
Huxley, J., 1936, Africa View, Chatto & Windus, London.
Jago, N., 1982, ‘The Development of Higher Education in Africa during the Period of Decolonisation.
A Study of the Expansion of University Education in Selected African Countries’, University of Oxford Development Records Project. MSS. Afr.s. 1825, Unpublished, See Note 1.
Peel, J.D.Y., 1984, Social and Cultural Change in M Crowder (ed.) The Cambridge History of Africa 8, from c.1940–c.1975: Chapter 4: 179, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Purchon, R.D., 1968, The Biology of the Mollusca, Pergamon Press, London.
Thomas, J.D., 1962, ‘University of Ghana. Department of Zoology, Retrospect and Prospect’, Departmental brochure, Unpublished, University of Ghana.
Williams, C.K., 1962, Achimota: The Early Years 1924-1948, Longman, Accra.