His influence on the various parties that emerged from his political tenure is also discussed.
Education in the United States
When Kwame Nkrumah was growing up, he showed a strong desire for education.
He was born on the Gold Coast of Africa in 1909, the son of a goldsmith, Kofi Ngonloma.
During his early years, he was exposed to Catholic missionaries, and received a basic education.
After graduating from Prince Wales' Achimota School, he moved to the United States to pursue master's degrees.
Although he arrived in the US almost penniless, he grew to become a well-known teacher.
He became an influential figure in the African-American community.
Many African intellectuals from the diaspora were also able to engage in a meaningful dialogue with him.
In addition, he became a prominent advocate for decolonization.
By the mid-1950s, Nkrumah was elected as the first prime minister of Ghana.
In 1958, he passed legislation that reformed the chiefs' power.
However, his policies also imposed a new national identity on Ghanaians.
Nkrumah acted quickly to quash the perception that the university faculty was disloyal to the state.
His educational policies could be used as a tool for peace-building, and as a means to unify Ghanaian society.
Nkrumah was an active member of the Pan-African movement, and played a key role in the development of the Organization of African Unity (OA).
This movement was founded on the concept of political union of independent Africa.
As an educator, he emphasized the importance of literacy and national unity.
During his tenure as Prime Minister of Ghana, he launched the first Institute of African Studies.
Nkrumah earned multiple master's and bachelor's degrees in a variety of disciplines.
He studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Lincoln University.
At the age of twenty, he became the president of the African Students' Organization in the United States.
Nkrumah's education in the United States included studies in philosophy, economics, and nationalism.
In his later years, he was a leader in the independence movement for Ghana.
While in the US, Nkrumah became an influential voice in the Pan-African movement.
He served as the President of the African Students' Organization, and helped organize the fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England, in 1945.
Education in Europe
One of the most ardent advocates of unity for the Black race after Marcus Garvey, Kwame Nkrumah lived a life far ahead of his time.
He studied philosophy and history in the United States, and became a leader of the Pan-Africanist movement.
In 1960, he became president of Ghana.
Nkrumah's educational policies were aimed at instilling a national consciousness in the country.
He also believed that education was crucial to rapid economic development.
But he made some mistakes.
For example, he didn't choose the right language.
His choice to use the English language produced inequality.
Moreover, he didn't adequately untangle the syllabus from colonial origins.
Nkrumah also attempted to rid the country of tribalism.
He criticized the power of local chiefs, and passed acts to reduce their powers.
As a result, he began to turn to communist countries for support.
Nkrumah introduced a new kind of secondary school called the "national" school.
The goal of this program was to increase access to secondary education in areas where it was scarce.
It included quotas for different regions.
However, his government did not pay much attention to the quality of this expansion.
During the course of his presidency, Nkrumah also promoted the development of an arts council and a museum.
He opened the first Institute of African Studies in 1962.
Nkrumah also introduced the Northern Scholarship Scheme to bridge the gap between the north and south of Ghana.
This program provided free education to the children of northern Ghana.
Among its other features, it included feeding grants and final examination registration fees.
These policies were the result of Nkrumah's understanding that education is a necessary prerequisite to economic growth.
He also recognized that wealth would create a nation that was vulnerable to conflict.
To address the problem, he crafted a new nationalist anti-tribalist framework.
While he was able to improve educational and economic conditions in Ghana, he failed to sufficiently untangle the syllabus from colonial roots.
Furthermore, his suppression of local cultural identity was counterproductive to positive peace.
Nkrumah's policies can be useful for peacebuilding.
However, the most successful educational programs will be those that help people develop their own individual and communal identities.
Education in Africa
A significant impact on Kwame Nkrumah's life was his education.
He was educated at a number of universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Africa.
He was also a conscientizer and a political activist.
He helped organize the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester.
Eventually, he became Ghana's Prime Minister.
In 1989, the Soviet Union honored him with a postage stamp.
Nkrumah saw the importance of education to Ghana's development.
He believed that literacy was a key element to rapid economic growth.
Moreover, he recognized that education was the key to freedom and a free, peaceful, and democratic society.
Specifically, he wanted to promote a nation-wide education system that would develop a national consciousness.
Nkrumah introduced many educational policies that served to unite Ghana.
These policies had a specific focus on the northern regions of the country, as well as the education of the youth.
For instance, the Northern Scholarship Scheme was implemented in order to provide free education to the people of the north.
Also, the government introduced the first national secondary school in the northern part of the country.
Ultimately, the education policy was a response to the northern region's lack of educational opportunities.
Moreover, Nkrumah wanted to eliminate tribalism in the country.
He believed that traditional leaders collaborated with colonial rulers.
As a result, he criticized the power of the local chiefs and encouraged the Africans to build a genuinely African system.
He also wanted to establish a more rigorous political structure that could help to promote positive change.
As a result, Nkrumah founded the West African National Secretariat to work toward decolonization.
The organization also worked for the creation of a Pan-African nation.
While the majority of his education policies focused on improving the lives of the Ghanaian people, they did not fully untangle the syllabus from its colonial origins.
However, his policies were a strong and effective means of instilling a new nationalist anti-tribalist framework.
It was these policies that brought about the metamorphosis of Ghana.
As a result, it was not surprising that Nkrumah's educational policies were used as a tool for peace building.
In addition, the government's emphasis on the basic needs of the population was also seen as a necessary step for the country's economic development.
Influence on Ghanaian political parties
Nkrumah's education policies in Ghana (1951-1966) were a useful tool for peace building.
Nkrumah promoted a nationalist identity that was rooted in pride and respect for everyone.
He believed that every individual in Ghana had an equal right to the basic necessities of life.
Moreover, he wanted all children to develop their talents regardless of their wealth.
However, he failed to untangle the syllabus from colonial influences.
He failed to restructure secondary educational expansion, and did not focus on the quality of the teaching.
Instead, he favored the establishment of the first 'national' school in Ghana, the Ghana National College at Cape Coast.
His government favoured the 'national' school in southern Ghana.
This resulted in a significant disadvantage for the north of the country, where people were unable to learn English.
It is clear that Nkrumah was determined to end Ghana's dependence on the British Empire.
He sought to ensure that the nation's universities represented national aspirations and values.
Despite his efforts to end the monopoly of the British colonial authority, the British government remained focused on fighting the 'bipolar' global order.
It refused to recognize colonial territories overseas.
They also resisted the spread of communism.
In the face of these challenges, Nkrumah decided to pursue the development of the Ghanaian economy.
Although he focused his attention on economic development, he was also aware of the need to address the underlying social inequalities.
Nkrumah hoped to eradicate tribalism.
In the north, he aimed to eliminate the region's centuries-old discrimination by offering free education.
As a result, Nkrumah imposed a new nationalist anti-tribalist framework.
His policies focused on the redistribution of wealth and the elimination of grievances, such as poverty and inequality.
These policies paved the way for self-determination, thereby creating an opportunity for political independence.
During this period, Nkrumah also developed a personality cult, which was critical to the success of his nationalist agenda.
For example, he attempted to quash the perceived disloyalty of his university colleagues.
He detained them for up to five years without trial.
While Nkrumah's policies aimed to establish a new nationalist identity, they did not go far enough in eradicating the cultural ties between the colonial narratives and the syllabus.
Consequently, he was accused of suppressing local culture.