Short Abstract:

In formerly colonized countries, boarding schools tend to be regarded in complex ways: they are associated with schooling success as well as risks of harm to young people and families. This panel will attend to boarding school experiences and controversies in contemporary African contexts.

Long Abstract:

Boarding schools are paradigmatic disciplinary institutions, and colonial legacies in many contexts. In formerly colonized countries, boarding schools tend to be regarded in complex ways: they are associated with schooling success as well as risks of harm to young people and families. In recent years, governments in countries with high numbers of boarding school students, including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, for example, have announced intentions to abolish boarding schools and particularly for primary pupils. At the same time, many families consider boarding schools as necessary for raising and educating children. This panel will provide in-depth considerations of boarding school controversies, with particular attention to how boarding schools are a site of clashing concerns for children’s wellbeing and futures.