Le développement psychosocial de l’enfant et son éducation dans l’Afrique précoloniale

This scientific contribution analyses the crisis of the Cameroonian school system, viewed as an obstacle to the achievement of development objectives, and examines the heuristic value of revisiting the logics of precolonial African education in order to shed light on pathways for transforming the contemporary educational system. It is based on a descriptive and synthetic approach that combines a multidisciplinary literature review with observations, with the aim of modelling children’s psychosocial development in an ancient African context and proposing a coherent periodization. The analysis of the literature identifies a framework composed of four phases structured by rites of passage and learning mechanisms that contribute to progressive autonomy, internalization of norms, socialization, and community integration. Taken together, these phases constitute a contextualized, community-based and experiential educational system, articulating axiological and spiritual dimensions and oriented towards socio-affective maturation and social cohesion. On this basis, the paper advocates strengthening the local anchoring of curricula, revalorizing African history, consolidating community-based mediations, and mobilizing endogenous resources in order to enhance the sociocultural relevance and effectiveness of learning in contemporary schooling.