TOPIC ONE

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

1.0 Introduction

The aim of this topic is to introduce you to the historical meanings of philosophy and
its fundamental bases. In line with this, we are going to look at the contributions of
the ancient Greek Philosophers, ancient Egyptian education and the question of
African Philosophy. We shall also examine the relationship of philosophy in human
life and philosophical tenets of Kenya‟s education system.
Learning outcomes
After working through this topic, you should be able to;
 Describe the meanings of philosophy
 Explore the contributions of ancient Greek philosophers, namely Socrates,
Plato and Aristotle.
 Criticize the aims of the ancient Greek and Egyptian education systems.
 State the contributions of the ancient Greek and Egyptian education systems
to the ones we have in Kenya today.
Study unit 1
1.1 Origin and meaning of Philosophy
1.1.1 Introduction
In this study unit we are going to take a look at the origin and meanings of the term
philosophy.
Learning outcomes
 State the origin and describe the meanings of philosophy.
 State the aims of the ancient Greek and Egyptian Education systems
 Describe the contributions of the ancient Greek Philosophers, namely Socrates,
Plato and Aristotle.
 Criticize the aims of the ancient Greek and Egyptian education systems.

Activity 1.1
i. Carefully read about the origin and meanings of philosophy in your prescribed
text book( Njoroge & Bennars, 1986, chapter 1)
ii. Having read the explanations, think back to your past experiences; are there
things that fall into the provided meanings of philosophy?
iii. Now write down your thoughts on the following questions: What do you think is
the perception of various categories of people about philosophy? How do you
contextualize the aims and contributions of the ancient Greek and Egyptian
education systems to the ones we have in Kenya today?

Feedback

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 Your reflections and the ideas you read in Njoroge & Bennaars. (1986) must have
pointed to the following central information.
Philosophy is an abstract discipline dealing with all fundamental issues touching on
human life, the concept of philosophy is derived from Greek term philosophia coined by
the philosopher protagorous from two words:
philein meaning love
Sophia meaning wisdom.
Philosophy therefore means ‘love for wisdom’.
In Greek, philosophy means to search, to strive.
In Latin, philosophy is derived from the word cura, which means care or concern. In
English the term cura implies being curious.
Therefore it can be asserted that the discipline philosophy is a world of curiosity.
As it always occurs in the field of education, learners and educators are curious to deal
with fundamental issues concerning man.
Individuals pursuing the discipline of philosophy are referred to as philosophers.
 A philosopher is a lover of wisdom. It does not mean that anybody who loves
wisdom necessarily qualifies to be called a philosopher. A philosopher should
have a bias for critical thinking.
 The current usage of the term philosophy keep on varying depending on ideas
involved and the way we intend to employ the term.
 Philosophers are people who are puzzled and wonder about many things in the
world they live in. As a result of this, they ask themselves many questions with a
hope of getting rational answers that will help them understand and survive in the
world, themselves being part of that world.
 Many Philosophers have argued, in fact, that Philosophy begins in wonder and
wonder is the feeling of a Philosopher. What, however, is it to wonder?
 To wonder is to realize that there is something strange and concealed behind the
things that we ordinarily perceive; something that needs MORE answers than
what we ordinarily take for granted.
 For this reason, Philosophers take nothing for granted. They constantly try to look
for answers particularly to the MEANING and SIGNIFICANCE of life.
 In a way also, Philosophers, through their questioning habit, admit that they are
ignorant of some issues. By questioning, they want answers; they want to know
because they know that they don‟t know. It is this knowledge that makes them
love or search for further knowledge.
NOTE:
This brings us to think of philosophy as an evaluation and interpretation of what is
important or meaningful in life. Some of the leading ancient Greek philosophers who
contribute to the bulk of the content of contemporary philosophy are Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle.

Various usage of the term philosophy

 Philosophy is used as an attitude towards certain activities. For example personal
philosophy (philosophy of life). It simply means how one looks at life. A teacher
may be wondering why he is teaching and yet the earnings cannot enable him to
buy a car for family use. Students may be reflecting on why they are pursuing

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 certain professions like law, medicine and teaching, that demands a lot, instead of
being con men or thieves and make easy money.
 Philosophy may be used as a slogan such as Moi‟s Nyayo philosophy of peace,
love and unity and Nyerere‟s philosophy of education for self-reliance (read more
in your prescribed textbooks).
 Used as a means of an intensive scrutiny of the views accepted about the world
and a man in order to ascertain the same views. This usage focuses on the idea so
that people do not simply accept something without questioning. It encourages the
critical function of the human mind.
 It is used as a long-range examination of the immediate problems. That is, instead
of simply looking at the small problem at hand, we are challenged to look at the
problem in a broader perspective.
Role of philosophy in human life.
 It assists in inquiring into problems and seeking solutions to them.
 Philosophy assists in judgment of approval and disapproval of rightness and
wrongness, goodness and badness, desirability and undesirability of human
action. This particular role falls under moral philosophy (ethics).
 Enables us to study first hand order of thinking and ultimate problems. This takes
us to metaphysics as a branch of philosophy. Metaphysics is a study that goes
beyond nature. It is derived from two terms, Meta meaning beyond and physics
meaning nature. Metaphysics deals with questions like what is man. Can we
reduce man to a physical being? What is the distinction between man and soul?
 It enables us to deal with the theories of knowledge by asking questions like what
is to know. How do we know? This takes us to an aspect of philosophy referred
to as Epistemology.
 Philosophy also focuses on principles and methods, which are used to distinguish
a correct reasoning from an incorrect one. This branch of philosophy is called
logic. Logic is used for evaluation and clarification of ideas. It is a science of
reasoning that involves systematic and coherent thinking.

1.1.2
The contribution of some Greek Educational Philosophers.
a) Socrates (470B.C- 399B.C)
He was one of the greatest Greek philosophers. Believed that the truth is absolute. He
stated the role of a teacher was to ask questions and probe the ideas of the mankind to
respond. “Know self”‟ was the keynote to education teaching of Socrates. He used to
argue that „unexamined life is not worth living‟. He observed that education has social
function, therefore advocated for education for all that is the rich and the poor, the wise
and the ignorant, the young and the old, the men and women. He taught morality and
other subjects using dialectic method. What is a dialectical method?
b) Plato (428B.C-348 B.C)
He was one of the great Greek philosophers, a student of Socrates and a teacher of
Aristotle. He came up with three educational principles.
 The principle of professionalism/specialization.

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  The principle of division of labor, for instance the soldiers, the workers and
the rulers.
 The principle of education as an instrument to other goals.
Plato preferred psychological consideration, that is, guidance and counseling of learners
into their areas of future occupation. After realizing what was happening in the Spartan,
Plato advocated that the provision, control and organization of education and religious
study should be a monopoly of the state. For Plato, the process of education is that of
„training the eye of the soul (mind) from darkness to light‟.
Plato believed that the society couldn‟t be changed merely by intellectual ideas without
considering the social values. In Plato‟s education layout, he favored education for all,
national unity, conservation of good culture and allowing for better changes in the
society.
Plato was the first to divide education into the formal labels, in appropriate ages and
curriculum content. Plato‟s educational plan was as follows.
 Infancy – 3 years. The young ones were taught to develop good habits through
good examples. They were also taught bravery.
 3-6 years of age, the children were taught stories, plays and games in nursery/
kindergarten. Plato recommended free use of appropriate disciplinary measures if
the child misbehaved.
 7-10 years of age, individuals are admitted into elementary school. Boys are
separated from girls and then are taught music, letters, mathematics and
storytelling about the gods of Greek mythology for moral and spiritual
development and games and sport.
 11-17 years of age, individuals are admitted into secondary school. The
curriculum here consists of a good balance of gymnastics, music, mathematics,
poetry, literature and military training.
 Above 21 years, only superior students would continue their education
programme to a higher level to produce philosopher kings (rulers). They would be
taught philosophy and dialectics.
 At age 50 years, Plato recommended that learners should retire to a life of
contemplation.

c) Aristotle (384B.C-322B.C)
For Aristotle „the mind of a child is like raw clay ready to be moulded into their
rational adult‟. He ventured into many areas of knowledge such as natural science
(physics and biology), law, logic, politics, ethics, and metaphysics and so on. He came up
with two types of human activities, namely the intellectual and practical (Theoretical and
practical reasoning respectively). He made it clear that it was only a few people who were
capable of enjoying life of pure intellectual activity, practical wisdom was open to all.
Aristotle came up with four aims of education.
i. To develop the child so that he may become the best adult of its type.
ii. To promote the reasoning ability of the person.
i. To inculcate in all wisdom for practical living, good moral conduct and
concern for social welfare of his fellow citizen.

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 ii. To foster in the individual who were capable of it, the ability for
intellectual and theoretical engagement.
Aristotle developed the following educational phases;
i. Birth-7 years. Careful bringing up of the child. Special attention should be paid to
his physical development. The child is taught how to endure hardship.
ii. 7-12 years the child is exposed to extensive curriculum comprising of music,
gymnastics, reading, writing and mathematics.
iii. 12-17 years, boys are taught rhetoric, grammar, literature, mathematics,
geography, music and military training.
iv. Above 1 years, only superior students may continue with their studies.
Philosophy of Ancient Egyptian Education.
The River Nile is the source of prosperity and foundation upon which the Egyptian
civilization was built. The Nile water was used for irrigating crops for watering livestock.
Through this taming of harsh desert environment, it contributed to the evolution of the
ancient Egyptian education. Egyptian children learnt surveying at an early age so that
they could control the floods that regularly altered the boundaries between farms.
The aim of Egyptian education included;
i. To fulfill religious need
ii. To enhance respect for good morals
iii. Transmission of culture from older generation to younger one.
iv. Prepare individuals for survival in their environment.
v. To enhance production of professionals such as doctors, engineers, priests,
lawyers, scribers and astronomers.
Education structure was subdivided into three components, namely the elementary or
primary education. Secondary and higher or professional education. Elementary
education commenced at age of four years and involved teaching of secondary education
lasted for a period of 6-10 years. The emphasis was on the perfection of writing, reading,
swimming etc., purposely for immediate application. All the important professions
mentioned earlier were emphasized in higher education.
Methodology of instruction included dictation, memorization, imitation, observation,
participation and repetition of stories, swimming, and wrestling among others. Egyptian
ancient education greatly contributed to modern writing, medicine, irrigation,
engineering, publications and agriculture. It is imperative to note that it is believed that
the Greeks borrowed a lot of Egyptian educational activities and modified for their own
use.

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Study unit 2
1.2 The question of African educational philosophy
1.2.1 Introduction
In this study unit we are going to critically examine issues related to the question of
African educational philosophy.
Learning outcomes.
 Describe the characteristics of African educational philosophy.
 Use examples by various writers to illustrate the tenets of African educational
philosophy.
 State the aims of African educational philosophy.
 Describe the relationship of philosophy and other disciplines.
 Justify the various usage of the term philosophy.
Activity 1.2

i. Carefully read about issues concerning the question of African educational

philosophy in your prescribed textbook.
ii. Now write down your thoughts on the following questions: Describe the
characteristics of African educational philosophy. How do you contextualize the
aims and contributions of the African educational philosophy to our current
educational system? Do you think that Africans had educational philosophical
thoughts similar to those of Greeks or Egyptians? Describe how philosophy is
related to other disciplines like sociology, mathematics, languages etc. what do
people think is the people‟s views about the importance of philosophy?
iii. Basing on your teaching experiences, do you think your students hold the same
views on the question of African educational philosophy? For those who do not
hold similar views, do they think that that African educational philosophy is static
or dynamic? What is the justification for each ones stand point?
iv. Describe how philosophy is related to other disciplines like sociology and
mathematics.

Feedback
The question of African Educational Philosophy
 The etymological origin of the concept education is a Latin word educere which
has a literal meaning „to lead out‟, „to nurture‟ or „to bring up‟ (expounded in unit
6).
 This definition of the concept education is more inclined to the social process
through which an individual is incorporated into the society. And to speak so,
education is perceived as a means of socialization.
 Socialization in the context of training an individual to accept the norms, values
and other characteristics of the society to which the person belongs. In regard to
this meaning, it occurs to one that African traditional education was concerned
with bringing up a child from infancy to adulthood in a manner desired by the
society. Just like the African traditional education, the Egyptian and Greek early
childhood education were seen within the context of a life-long process from
„womb to tomb‟.

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  Kenyatta (1978) in his book entitled „Facing Mount Kenya‟ concurs with the
foregoing observation when he writes that „education begins at the time of birth
and ends with death‟. The implication is that education is a crucial activity in our
lives. For this reason, the meaning of its goals ought to be able to allow the
transformation of the intended action into reality without messing up our lifetime
activities.
 As provided by peters (1966), education consists of transmission of something
that is worthwhile. That is, something which is approved. By this, we can
perceive education as a purposeful and predetermined activity. If an activity is
purposeful and predetermined, it implies that the activity has a goal or an aim to
achieve. For this reason, the desired objective must be defined precisely, because
if the objective is clear, it enables us to act with meaning more so, gives us
direction to the aspired objective. Peter‟s conceptualization of education seems to
be more restrictive than the traditional view of relating education to socialization.
 The mode of communication under the traditional education was not as easy as
many people tend to assume. The riddles and proverbs were employed to express
both the ordinary and metaphysical worldviews. This demanded that the learner
should have a good mastery of the mother tongue (vernacular). As such, a deep
understanding and precise interpretation of the riddles and proverbs was a
prerequisite in traditional education. one major setback is that there was no well-
developed system of writing to propagate consistent African traditional
educational thought. Despite this philosopher Oruka (1991) and Kwame (1987)
argue that lack of literature on a firmly held belief that some of the acknowledged
philosophers such as Socrates and Buddha wrote nothing and yet a lot has been
written about their work in the field of education. According to Oruka, writing is
not thinking and what is not written can be written; just like Plato later wrote
Socrates‟ work.
 Oruka‟s view has inevitably made certain value judgment upon traditional
education that it involves thinking and not writing. However, in one way or
another, writing influences thinking, because writing involves use of words which
consistently seek to externalize what is internal in one‟s consciousness. As the
ageing Sartre once noted “I still think…but because writing has become
impossible for me, the real activity of thought has in some way been repressed.”
One possible implication of concern to us is that writing helps to avoid
committing the fallacy of verbalism (this is the fallacy that is committed by
mistaking the properties of a concept and/or accent for the properties of its
meaning). What is unwritten has a higher chance of being distorted as it is passed
on from one generation to another, than written information.
 It is important to note that the use of proverbs to express human feelings is not
peculiar to African societies or thinkers only. Philosophers such as Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle are known to have employed language with proverbs to express their
educational thoughts. It may therefore be said that language does not merely
suggest but also influences the interpretation of what is said. As cited by Kwame
(1987), J.L Austin noted that;

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  When we examine what we should use in what situations, we are looking again
not merely at words but also at the realities we use the words to talk about; we are
using awareness of words to sharpen our perception of thought.
 The implication here is that words used in our expressions should directly relate
to the realities that we talk about. In other words, we should use specific concepts
to imply certain meanings of the real situations.
 Education ideals among the African ethnic groups varied, but one common factor
existed, that is, the practical aspect. In support of this claim, Ochieng‟ (1981) has
made the following observation:
 Education is a social activity with a social purpose. It is individuals who are
educated. But they are educated by their fellows, for the common purpose of all
members of the society.
 Nyerere points out that individual are educated by their fellows (members of the
society) for the purpose of benefiting all in the society. On the same point, Moi
reckons that:
 Indeed the traditional African institutional and socio-cultural provisions to
incorporate the young, the poor, the sick and the old into the society. This implies
that there was no doctrine of egoism.
 The community collectively assisted all its members through the virtue of
cooperation that is the basis of African socialism, for this reason, the society took
care of everybody. Everyone had something to do, hence idleness was minimal in
the African set up. Indeed all the members of the society were regarded as equal
irrespective of their individual advantages and disadvantages. Nyerere captures
this value of African traditional education in his Ujamaa philosophy when he
states:
 The equality of all members is fundamental to any social grouping to which an
individual freely belongs… the ideal society is based on human equality and on
combination of the freedom and unity of its members.
 Contrary to the ideals of African traditional education, Nyerere observed that
European education carried along its capitalism virtues that regarded inequality as
a natural, necessary and permanent phenomenon of a society. As such, it
(capitalism) encourages inequality since each person is allowed to acquire as he
can, that there must be the “haves” and the “have not‟s.” This promotes
competition (for instance the examinations in educational institutions) rather than
cooperation of African socialism. In fact our nation‟s set of educational
philosophy is built on what Nyerere has described as the principles of African
socialism. This is appropriately reflected in sessional paper no.10 on African
socialism and its application to planning in Kenya (1965). Apart from the social
service, the economic aspect of education is also highly appreciated and seems to
outweigh the social function of education in Kenya today.
 There were no written educational policy objectives to guide the traditional
teachers. Sifuna (1986) has made a comprehensive observation on how these
teachers went about teaching;
 Teachers had no idea how to make learning easy for their pupils except by spoon-
feeding them in the way modern educationalists detest. Tradition, having decided
what was to be taught, the teacher‟s job was simply to go on repeating the same

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 thing over and over again, until the child saw the light. To deal with what he
deemed to be insubordination, he had one method to fall back on, and he never
failed to make use of it; corporal punishment.
 The purpose of the discipline to offenders, slow or poor learners was not only to
inflict suffering; it was also intended to redirect, to correct, to restore confidence
rather than to discourage. The incentives of learning included praises,
encouragement and rewards. Bogonko (1992); puts it as follows:
 The evaluation by his or her peers shaped a boy or girl‟s perception of his or her
potentials, shortcomings and self-esteem so as to adjust to the demands of
education.
 D‟Souza (1987) satisfactorily summarizes Kenya‟s education philosophy when he
writes that:
 It is deeply rooted in African socialism, which draws sustenance from traditional
values. Africans visualized a fundamental unity manifested in the harmony
between our planet and the rest of the universe and between man and his
environment.
 On the same point Wandira (1971) elaborates the goals of traditional education by
stressing that traditional societies did not kill the spirit of the individual, instead:
 It sought to produce persons who were fully developed individuals while at the
same time being acceptable and effective members of society. To achieve this,
education equipped the individual with basic skills necessary for life and with
those qualities and values that made him acceptable to the society.
 Njoroge and Benaars reaffirm the existence of African philosophy of education,
which seems to form the guidelines of Kenya‟s educational goals as follows:
 Philosophy means a point of view or a belief concerning a purpose of value.
 Philosophy is a method of reflective thinking and reasoned inquiry. This
definition is borrowed from Socrates thinking. He believed that one should not
lead an unexamined life,
 Philosophy is a search for comprehensive view of nature, an attempt to universal
explanation of nature of things.
Relationship of philosophy and other disciplines.

 The original term philosophia referred to all the investigations about man. This
implies that other disciplines that we study today emerged from philosophy.
Therefore, philosophy can be said to be the mother of all disciplines.
 From time to time, every teacher, student or policy-maker asks himself certain
questions that are philosophical in nature. The teacher may wonder why he/she is
teaching sociology and not English. When is the teaching at its best? On the other
hand, a policy maker may ask, what are the components of a good educational
curriculum? When these questions are taken far enough, they become
philosophical. They become questions about the nature of the man, the world
around man, knowledge, value and the virtues of good life.
 When philosophy turns its attention to science, we have philosophy of science.
When it examines the basic concepts of the law, we have philosophy of law.
When it deals with education, we have philosophy of education or educational

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 philosophy. Therefore, we can simply observe that philosophy of education is the
application of philosophy to the field of education.

Study unit 3
1.3 Philosophical tenets of Kenya’s Education System
1.3.1 Introduction
In this study unit we are going to examine the philosophical tenets of Kenya‟s education
system.
Learning outcomes
 State the national educational goals since political independence.
 Critically examine the national education goals in light of relevance and
practicability.
 Describe some of the contributions of the ancient Greek Philosophers, namely
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle t or national educational goals.
 State the vision and mission of some Kenyan universities.
 State objectives of university education in Kenya.
Activity 1.3

i. Read about the philosophical tenets of Kenya‟s education system in your

prescribed textbook.
ii. Now write your thoughts on the following questions: state the national
educational goals since political independence. Identify and describe objectives of
university education in Kenya. Describe the vision and mission of some Kenyan
universities. How do you relate the philosophical tenets of Kenya‟s education
system contextualize the aims and contributions of the African educational
philosophy? Do you think that Africans had educational philosophical thoughts
similar to those of Greeks or Egyptians?

Feedback
Philosophical tenets of Kenya’s Education system
Every society or nation all over the world sets up its own educational goals based upon its
cultural and social needs. Because education is such a worthwhile commodity, a society
determines what is supposed to be passed on from one generation to another. In fact, it is
the culture of a society that helps to determine the content of education and its aims or
goals. According to Nerlich (1989), goals are ends that one pursues. To specify a goal is
thus to provide a motive for an action which a person is performing or will perform
(ibid). Students‟ goals are not about what to do just here and now, but about a continuing
character to be moulded, monitored, guided and made free in its nature.
The main educational goals for Kenya since political independence are stated in the
Ominde Report part 1 (1964). Seven years later, these goals were re-emphasized in the
Ndegwa Report (1971) as follows:
i. Education must serve the primary needs of national development;
ii. Education must assist in fostering and promoting national unity;

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 iii. Education must prepare the youth of the country so that they can play an effective
role in the life of the nation whilst ensuring that opportunities are not provided for
the full development of the individual talents and personality of the nation;
iv. Education must assist in the promotion of social equality and train in social
obligations and responsibilities, and
v. The education system must respect, foster and develop the rich and varied
cultures of Kenya (p. 146)
Twenty five years later after Kenya‟s political independence, Kamunge Report (1988)
provides the national educational goals as:
i. Education must serve to foster national unity;
ii. Education must prepare and equip the youth with knowledge, skills and expertise
to enable them to play an effective role in the life of the nation;
iii. Education must serve the needs of national development;
iv. Education must provide for the full development of talents and personality;
v. Education must promote social justice and morality, social obligations and
responsibilities and
vi. Education must foster positive attitudes and consciousness towards other nations
(p.11)
Koech Report (1999) revisited the historical development of education in Kenya and
restated the national education goals to reflect the changes that have occurred in response
to emerging social, political and economic needs of the nation. This report states that the
Kenyan goals of education embrace tenets, values and attributes geared to:
i. The articulation of Kenyan identity and its African worldview;
ii. Personal character formation;
iii. Respect for authority, human dignity and equality of individual persons;
iv. Patriotism for the nation of Kenya and desire for sustained integration, stability
and prosperity;
v. Enhancement of moral and spiritual values in inter-personal and inter-ethnic
relations;
vi. Appropriation of mutual social responsibility and its corporate ethic for the
common good;
vii. Internalization of a positive and life-long work ethic;
viii. Conservation and maintenance of a clean environment;
ix. Promotion of the physical, emotional and psychological health of all citizens;
x. Cultivation of national unity in the minds of youth at an early age;
xi. Appreciation of national, regional and global concerns;
xii. Development of individuals‟ ability to make rational decisions;
xiii. Respect and appreciation of abilities and limitations of persons with special
needs;
xiv. Respect for elderly persons and those in difficult circumstances such as those on
the streets and AIDS infected and affected individuals and
xv. Creation of desire for life-long learning (p.7)
The vision and mission of universities
Summer (1987) writes that a vision is a wise understanding or an idea in mind of how
future should be and a mission is a particular work that an individual or an institution

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believes it is a duty to do. According to Eurich (1968), there is no doubt today that
universities would like to do what the times demand of them, and this is clearly reflected
in the vision of the universities envisaged in their ambition of contributing knowledge to
the well- being of the society. But what do the times demand of them? Eurich notes that
universities have three great traditional missions to fulfil; namely research, teaching and
service to the community. Teaching as an important function of the university is an issue
of concern among the students and has been a contributor to the current wave of student
discontent. The universities should give serious attention to student needs and similar
issues must not be settled under pressure or adjudicated in an atmosphere of controversy,
observes Dennis Onyango (Sunday Nation 19/11/2000).
Specific universities have specific visions and missions. For example, the mission of
Egerton University is the dissemination, storage and creation of new knowledge (Egerton
university, 1999). The university provides outreach services to the nation and
international community. This mission is realized through teaching, research, library
services, repository and preservation of information, besides extension and consultancy
services offered to the society.
In addition to this, Egerton University provides educational and training opportunities to
both residential and non-residential trainees. The university has opened its programs to
self-sponsored students. Some of the new innovations in teaching methodology include
African Virtual University (AVU) and the Distance Learning Program.
On the other hand, the mission of the University of Nairobi is to maintain a leadership
role in the pursuit of knowledge through quality and relevant teaching, research,
consultancy and community service, (CHE, 2003). In pursuing this mission the
University of Nairobi is guided by the words of a famous Chinese philosopher K‟kuan-
Tzu who said: “ if you plan for a year plant a seed; if for ten years plant a tree and if for
hundred years educate people” (ibid). This is because when you sow a seed once, you
reap a single harvest but when you educate people you will reap a hundred harvests.
Finally, the mission for Kabarak University is to produce graduates with high academic
standards and skills in management, accounting and finance, (ibid). Therefore, we can
observe that universities represent centers of academic excellence with special visions
and missions to fulfil. The specific objectives of university education in Kenya are
discussed below.
Objectives of University Education in Kenya
Kamunge Report (1988) notes that specific objectives of the university education in
Kenya are:
a) To develop, advance, preserve and disseminate knowledge and to stimulate
intellectual life;
b) To train and prepare high level manpower needed for development;
c) To provide through research and consultancy, knowledge, skills and services to
the community by helping solve problems facing the society and
d) To assist the government in achieving its planned development of higher
education (p.69).
After re-examining the challenges of university education, the Koech Report (1999)
states that the objectives of university level education as the national „think tank‟ in
shaping and propelling national growth and development include; developing students‟
and scholars ability to think independently, critically and creatively. Also, university

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education is expected to help create a society in which merit, based on diverse talents and
equity in development are recognized and nurtured. According to Resnick (1968). In
Tanzania the university is expected to:
1) Provide higher education for an adequate number of people to fill the high level
manpower requirements of our country;
2) Prepare its graduates for entry to specific professional careers;
3) Provide institutional arrangements which are necessary to keep our precious high
level manpower force up to date and thus prevent obsolescence ;
4) Assist in the development of the content of educational courses so that people
who are highly educated are also well suited to undertake the tasks that are most
important in the development;
5) Carry out research activities related to high level manpower (p.43).
We find that both in Kenya and Tanzania, university education is the apex of the formal
system of education when it comes to stimulating intellectual or rather enhancing
learners‟ diverse desires and abilities. Indeed, it has come out clearly that universities
have certain functions and expectations to fulfil in terms of the goals of the society and
individuals.
Are your reflections on these activities similar to those ones provided above? If not in the
same kind of expressions of words, do not worry: you can re-examine your responses to
these activities later to see whether you have changed your mind, or whether you have
strong arguments against what is provided in the feedback. As you ponder about this
feedback, take your pen and workbook, write down your thoughts on the under listed
questions.

Study questions.
1) Define philosophy and state its role in human life.
2) Discuss the importance of the knowledge of philosophy to a teacher.
3) Discuss the relationship of philosophy with other disciplines like physics,
sociology, psychology and drama.
4) Using appropriate examples, illustrate the various usage of the term philosophy.
5) Discuss for or against the view of the existence of African educational
philosophy.
6) Compare and contrast the ancient education structures of the Greeks and the
Egyptians.
7) Discuss the contributions of the ancient Greek philosophers to the contemporary
education setup.
8) Who is an educated person?

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