Page "news" Paragraph 2094

The Belgians also placed great emphasis on education.

During the 1950s there were as many as 25,000 schools in the Congo.

But almost all the schools were primary.

The average Congolese can do little more than puzzle out the meaning of `` la chatte '' and `` le chien '' and write his name.

Some schools were technical -- the Belgians needed carpenters and mechanics to help exploit the land, and trained many.

But they did not believe in widespread secondary education, much less in college.

It was their conviction that the people should be `` brought up together '', a grade at a time, until in some indefinite future some might be ready to tackle history, economics and political science.

Indeed, the Belgians discouraged higher education, fearing the creation of a native intellectual elite which might cause unrest.

When the Congo received its independence in 1960 there were, among its 13.5 million people, exactly 14 university graduates.