Department of Psychology and Education Lovanium University (Congo-Kinshasa)

Extract

When Lovanium University was founded in October, 1954, only 10 students registered for the Department of Education. Within twelve years, 43 students graduated either in Psychology or in Education, and 54 others obtained a Diploma in Education. During the academic year 1966-1967, there were about 200 students in the Department. These are tangible results. Young people have been prepared to serve their countries in the field of education and teaching, a field which is very important in a developing country.

From the beginning the main objective of the Department has been to adapt a specifically African programme and training. The increasing success known by this Department, especially since 1963-1964, shows that it really meets the needs of a young Republic which is constantly searching for qualified African professors for secondary schools and training colleges as well as school inspectors and competent counsellors in education. The psychologists also face a very big task. Centres for school orientation and selection, as well as for vocational selection and orientation, are in bad need of qualified staff to create new centres or to extend the ones already existing.