Ghanaian-American Inventor Reveals How The British Designed The Educational System In Africa

Introduction

Thomas Mensah, a well-known Ghanaian-American inventor and chemical engineer, made an interesting revelation about the type of education offered in Ghana in an interview.

He was asked why the education curriculum of Ghana focused on theory rather than practice and invention.

Thomas Mensah speaks on Ghana’s educational curriculum

This is what Thomas Mensah said about why Ghana’s educational curriculum focused on theory rather than practice:

“Now, the Quizmaster of the National Science and Maths Quiz is talking about the fact that they are only teaching students theory in this country. Yes.

Is it true? That’s true, and that’s why I’m bringing Silicon Valley to Ghana.”

Thomas Mensah speaks about the British influence on Ghana’s educational curriculum

The interviewer asked the accomplished engineer how he has been able to achieve so much since he also passed through the Ghanaian educational curriculum.

He attended Adisadel College for his high school education and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology for his tertiary education.

Thomas Mensah said:

“Yeah but if all I had was the theory that would go nowhere. We would never reach a stage in Ghana where a child can say I’m going to build these cameras. That’s practical. That’s really practical.

So they got to be thinking along there. Why is our educational system so theoretical rather than practical? That’s what the British did to us, hundred years ago. They said, all right, we’re going to set schools over there.

All the schools in Ghana. All the way to universities. Theory. Teach them theory.

Don’t show them because we sell them technology. Don’t teach them how to build cars. Don’t teach them how to build the internet or smartphones. Tell them how. Theory. And we are very good.”

The Ghanaian-American inventor added:

“They introduced the curriculum of theory on purpose so that our students, African students, can just focus on learning about what others are doing or the basics, just the theory.

It never pushes them to experience themselves, to experiment and to invent for themselves.

It just teaches them to be an obedient employee or someone that just knows the theory but knows nothing about the experiments and the invention which is basically robbing people of their future and their skills.

They could have invented so much but that is not happening because the British designed it that way.”

Thomas Mensah’s Achievements

Thomas Mensah is a Ghanaian-American inventor and chemical engineer who has contributed to the development of fibre optic manufacturing and nanotechnology.

He has 14 patents and was inducted into the US National Academy of Inventors in 2015.

Below are a few of his accomplishments:

• Thomas Mensah moved from Corning Glass Works to AT&T’s Bell Laboratories in 1986, where he took charge of a project to create the Pentagon’s first laser-guided weaponry.
• Thomas Mensah’s invention of fibre optics has positioned the US as the leader in the internet space globally, generating trillions for Fortune 500 companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc.
• Thomas Mensah is the president and chief executive officer of Georgia Aerospace Systems, which produces nanocomposite structures for the Pentagon’s usage in missiles and aeroplanes.
• Dr Mensah is not only a highly competent chemical engineer but also a pioneer in the fields of nanotechnology, fibre optics, and aeronautics materials research. He is the owner of at least 25 granted and pending patents.
• Dr Mensah is the author of five books on innovation, and he has established the Silicon Valley of Ghana at the Kofi Annan ICT Center in Accra.

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